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Palestine 

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Time  of  OArisl 


Showing  ft rinafial Roads  &  lords  of  Me  Jordan 


Memorable  Places 


Among 

The  Holy  Hills 


ROBERT  LAIRD  STEWART,  D.  D. 

Professor  of  Pastoral  Theology  and  Biblical  Archceology  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  Lincoln  University ,  Penna . 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 
London  &  Edinburgh 


Copyright  1902  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 
(  September ) 


TO  Mr  WIFE 


Preface 


The  places  described  in  this  series  of  sketches 
are  those  which  come  into  view  most  frequently 
and  prominently  in  connection  with  the  Story  of 
Redemption. 

The  purpose  has  been  to  give  in  brief  space 
and  popular  form,  the  most  accurate  and  interest¬ 
ing  information  obtainable  from  the  accumula¬ 
tions  of  the  past  and  the  records  of  recent  in¬ 
vestigation  and  discovery:  as  well  as  from  the 
impressions  gained  from  personal  study  and  ob¬ 
servation. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  Palestine — the  home¬ 
land  of  the  Bible — is  engaging  the  attention  of 
the  Christian  world  as  never  before  in  its  history: 
and,  as  a  result,  there  is  a  growing  demand  for 
helpful  and  easily  accessible  information  concern¬ 
ing  it.  While  many  travellers  and  writers  with 
clear  vision  and  descriptive  powers  of  a  high 
order  have  passed  this  way  hitherto,  there  are 
still  new  discoveries  to  be  announced,  new  im¬ 
pressions  to  be  recorded;  and  the  story  of  its 
memorable  places,  interlinked,  as  they  are,  with 
the  sweetest  story  ever  heard  in  earth  or  heaven, 
will  still  be  told  and  retold  with  growing  interest 
from  generation  to  generation. 

The  illustrations  which  cover  the  whole 

5 


6 


Preface 


ground  have  been  carefully  selected  as  sup¬ 
plementary  aids  to  the  descriptions  of  the  text. 

Credit  for  photographic  views  reproduced  by 
permission  and  for  helpful  information  and  sug¬ 
gestion  from  various  sources,  has  been  given  in 
the  body  of  the  work. 

Lincoln  University,  Pa. 

Sept,  ist,  igo2. 


Contents 


PAGE 

Introduction.  Recent  Researches  in  the 
Holy  Land . 9 

I 

Hebron, — the  Resting-place  of  the  Patriarchs  27 

II 

Bethlehem, — the  Birth-place  of  Jesus  .  .  43 

f 

III 

Nazareth, — the  Home  of  Jesus  .  .  .55 

IV 

The  Wilderness  of  Judea  .  .  .  .  72 

V 

Shechem  and  its  Environs  .  .  .  .86 

VI 

The  Plain  of  Gennesaret  ....  97 

VII 

The  Sea  of  Galilee  .  •  •  •  •  107 

7 


8 


Contents 


VIII 

“ His  Own  City” . 118 

IX 


Bethsaida  of  Galilee . 128 

X 

The  Mountain  of  the  Transfiguration  .  .139 

XI 

The  Place  of  “  The  Noble  Sanctuary  ”  .148 

XII 

The  Pool  of  Siloam . 180 

XIII 


The  Way  to  Jericho . 193 

XIV 

The  Fords  of  the  Jordan  ....  203 

XV 

The  Land  Beyond  Jordan  .*  .  .214 

XVI 

The  Strongholds  of  Mach^rus  and  Masada  225 


List  of  Maps  and  Illustrations 


Facing  Page 

Map  of  Palestine  in  the  Time  of  Christ  .  Title 

The  New  Entrance  Beside  the  Jaffa  Gate, 

Jerusalem . io 

Hebron  and  Its  Environs  ....  28 

Abraham’s  Oak  in  the  Vale  of  Mamre  .  30 

Bethlehem  of  Judea . 44 

Nazareth,  the  Home  of  Jesus  ...  56 

Dry  Bed  of  Waterfall  in  Wady  Dabr  .  ,  72 

The  Greek  Convent  of  Mar  Saba  ...  76 

Shechem  and  its  Environs  ....  86 

Sea  of  Galilee . 98 

Site  of  Magdala— the  Home  of  Mary 

Magdalene . 104 

Northern  Basin  of  Gennesaret  from 

Highlands  of  Galilee  ....  108 

Tiberias  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee  .  .  .  114 

Rock  Cliff  and  Fountain  (Ain  et  Tin)  at 

Khan  Minyeh . 126 

Bethsaida  of  Galilee  (Ain  Tabighah)  .  .  132 

Source  of  the  Jordan  at  Banias  .  .  .  144 

The  Mosque  of  El  Aksa— Temple  Area  ,  148 

The  Dome  of  the  Rock  and  its 

Associated  Buildings . 152 


LIST  OF  MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 

( Continued ) 


South  Wall  of  the  Temple  Area  . 

Sketch  Plan  of  Recent  Excavations 

IN  AND  ABOUT  THE  PORT  OF  SlLOAM 

The  Jordan  Bridge  at  Mouth  of 
Wady  Shaib  (Nimrim  Ford)  . 

Portion  of  Wall  and  Gateway  of  Northern 
Edge  of  Summit  of  the  Hill  of  Masada  . 


164 

180 

212 

232 


INTRODUCTION 

RECENT  RESEARCHES  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Preeminent  among  the  lands  of  Sacred  Story 
is  the  narrow  strip,  inland  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  which  for  long  ages  has  borne  the  distinctive 
title  of  “  The  Holy  Land.”  It  is  a  rugged  and  sin¬ 
gularly  diversified  tract,  and  yet  throughout  its 
whole  extent  it  is  a  unity  in  its  physical  confor¬ 
mation.  It  is  not  a  domain  of  uncertain  area, 
whose  metes  and  bounds  were  determined  in 
different  periods  by  political  changes  or  revolu¬ 
tions,  but  by  divine  allotment  it  became  the 
peculiar  heritage  of  Israel,  and  in  the  title  deed  of 
its  transfer  its  limits  are  carefully  defined.  On 
the  one  hand,  its  border  is  the  sea;  on  the  other 
the  desert.  Northward  its  boundary  is  the  wide 
break  between  the  Lebanon  and  the  Nusairiyeh 
Mountains,  designated  as  the  “  Entering  in  of 
Hamath”;  southward  it  extends  to  the  “River, 
or  Brook,  of  Egypt,”  a  long,  shallow  wady  or 
watercourse,  which  runs  in  a  northwesterly  direc¬ 
tion,  through  a  portion  of  the  wilderness  of  Israel’s 
wanderings,  and  enters  the  Mediterranean  Sea  a 
short  distance  south  of  the  two  pillars  erected  by 
Mehemet  Ali,  to  mark  the  boundary  between  Asia 
and  Africa.  Thus  on  every  side,  except  the  north, 

9 


io 


Introduction 


it  is  bordered  by  a  wide  expanse  of  sea  or  desert. 
The  extent  of  this  Greater  Palestine  from  north 
to  south  is  290  miles.  Its  area  is  not  less  than 
25,000  square  miles.  To  this  land  in  its  entirety 
belong  the  glowing  descriptions,  poetic  illusions 
and  hallowed  associations  which  have  given  to  it 
its  world-wide  fame  and  exclusive  title.  Here  as 
nowhere  else  the  Almighty  has  manifested  His 
glory  and  unfolded  His  purpose  of  redeeming 
grace.  “  Its  hills  and  valleys  have  been  trans¬ 
figured  by  meanings  and  mysteries  mightier  than 
physical  influences,”  and  over  it  all  there  shines  a 
light  that  fades  not,  but  grows  more  radiant  with 
the  ages.  It  is  the  land  of  the  Patriarchs;  of  the 
Prophets;  of' the  Sacred  Poets;  of  the  Apostles; 
of  the  world  renowned  Kings,  David  and  Solo¬ 
mon;  and  of  a  host  of  saintly  men  and  women 
whose  names  are  familiar  as  household  words. 
But  more  than  all  it  is  the  land  where  the  Son  of 
God  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  men: 

"  Here  lie  those  holy  fields 
O'er  whose  acres  walked  those  blessed  feet, 

Which  1900  years  ago  were  nailed 
For  our  advantage  to  the  bitter  cross.” 

A  half  century  ago  the  principal  sources  of  in¬ 
formation  concerning  the  Holy  Land  were  doubt¬ 
ful  assumptions  based  upon  medieval  traditions, 
or  the  scarcely  more  reliable  impressions  and 
generalizations  of  travellers,  who  flitted  hastily 
from  point  to  point  throughout  the  East.  In 
many  cases  the  traditional  rubbish  which  had 


To  the  right  is  the  Tower  of  Hippicus  and  the  recently  erected  Fountain.  This 
break  in  the  wall  was  made  for  the  entrance  of  Emperor  William  of  Germany. 


Introduction 


11 


gathered  around  the  sacred  sites  of  Palestine  was 
more  perplexing  to  the  real  explorer  than  the 
heaps  of  debris  from  walls  and  ruined  strong¬ 
holds.  Happily  for  us,  this  is  true  no  longer. 
The  work  of  exploration  on  a  strictly  scientific 
basis,  commenced  by  Dr.  Edward  Robinson — the 
father  of  Palestinian  geography  nearly  sixty  years 
ago — has  been  carried  on  by  a  worthy  corps  of 
successors,  who,  amid  many  discouragements 
and  perils,  have  given  years  of  patient  study  and 
investigation  to  the  identification  of  places,  the 
retracing  of  old  boundary  lines,  the  translation  of 
ancient  names  and  records,  the  excavation  of 
long  buried  cities  and  the  survey  of  the  land  as  a 
whole.  The  most  important  results  have  been 
secured  within  the  last  twenty  years  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  explorations  and  accurate  triangula¬ 
tion  surveys  undertaken  by  the  Palestine  Explora¬ 
tion  Fund.  During  the  progress  of  this  work  a 
list  of  10,000  names  was  collected  and  172  Bib¬ 
lical  sites  were  discovered.  At  the  present  time, 
434  out  of  the  622  Biblical  names  west  of  the 
Jordan  have  been  identified  with  a  reasonable 
degree  of  probability.  As  the  outcome  of  this 
important  work  we  now  have  a  relief  map 
covering  most  of  the  land;  and  a  series  of  beauti¬ 
fully  executed  wall  maps  as  accurate  as  the  ord¬ 
nance  map  of  England.  The  actual  recovery  of 
the  old  lines  of  the  tribal  divisions  west  of  the 
Jordan,  by  retracing  the  natural  features  of  the 
country,  which  unquestionably  have  remained 
without  change;  and  the  identification  of  long 


12 


Introduction 


forgotten  sites  along  these  lines,  by  names  which, 
with  slight  changes,  have  clung  to  them  since 
the  days  of  Joshua,  may  be  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  noteworthy  achievements  of  the  sur¬ 
vey  party.  This  recovery  is  owing  mainly  to 
the  fact  that  the  original  divisions  were  made  to 
conform,  as  far  as  possible,  to  the  natural  features 
of  the  country.  It  implies  on  the  part  of  Joshua’s 
corps  of  surveyors  a  clear  and  accurate  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  details  of  its  physiographic  features, 
as  well  as  a  general  knowledge  of  its  configura¬ 
tion  and  adaptations.  It  also  furnishes  a  strong 
incidental  proof  in  support  of  the  claim  that  the 
record  which  defines  these  boundaries  with  such 
painstaking  fidelity,  was  written  at  the  time 
when  this  allotment — itself  a  matter  of  history — 
was  actually  made.  It  seems  incredible  that  it 
should  have  been  regarded  of  so  much  value  as 
to  occupy  the  space  of  ten  chapters  in  the  book 
of  Joshua,  if  it  had  been  written  at  any  period 
after  the  displacement  or  separation  of  the  tribes. 
It  is  evident,  also,  that  the  confusion  of  lines  by 
the  events  of  subsequent  history,  and  the  forma¬ 
tion  of  new  political  divisions,  would  have  made 
the  task  of  preparing  such  a  record  a  work  of 
superhuman  wisdom,  as  wonderful  in  its  reach 
backward  as  the  sweep  of  the  inspired  prophet’s 
vision  forward  into  the  future. 

“These  facts,”  says  Colonel  Conder,  “serve 
assuredly  to  prove  that  the  geography  of  the 
Book  of  Joshua  is  no  idle  tale,  but  a  real  division 
of  a  real  country,  capable  of  the  most  minute 


Introduction 


*3 

critical  examination  by  aid  of  the  most  scientific 
modern  research.” 

In  the  light  of  all  this  patient  and  continuous 
investigation  and  discovery,  the  geography  of  the 
Holy  Land  has  become  a  study  of  absorbing 
interest.  It  has  furnished  a  clue  to  the  explana¬ 
tion  of  many  historical  difficulties;  filled  old 
words  with  new  meanings;  revealed  correspond¬ 
ences  with  the  Bible  hitherto  unseen;  corrobo¬ 
rated  minute  circumstances  of  position,  time  and 
distance  incidentally  given  by  the  sacred  writers; 
and,  in  a  word,  has  restored  the  real  historic  set¬ 
ting  of  a  series  of  real  historic  narratives. 

Looking  at  the  land  as  a  whole — as  it  now 
appears — we  find  many  things  in  connection 
with  its  location,  framework  and  physical  fea¬ 
tures  which  are  absolutely  unique;  and  which  we 
believe  can  only  be  explained  satisfactorily  on 
the  assumption  that  it  was  a  land  marvellously 
fashioned  and  adapted  to  all  the  conditions  of  its 
marvellous  history. 

1.  Its  Position  Among  the  Nations. — Palestine 
had  the  singular  distinction  of  being  at  the  centre 
of  the  civilization  and  influence  of  the  ancient 
world.  Its  coast  plain  has  been  the  great  inter¬ 
national  highway  and  war-path  of  the  nations 
for  upwards  of  5,000  years.  Canaan  was  the 
"  Westland  ”  of  the  Babylonians  and  Assyrians, 
towards  which  a  restless  tide  of  immigration  had 
been  flowing  long  before  the  days  of  Abraham. 
It  was  the  Midland  region  of  the  Egyptians, 
through  which  their  armies  and  caravan  bands  of 


14 


Introduction 


necessity  must  pass  on  the  way  to  the  rich  plains 
and  valleys  of  the  East.  It  was  the  “  High 
Bridge,”  as  Ritter  terms  it,  on  which  the  legions 
which  followed  Alexander,  or  the  great  generals 
of  Rome,  ascended  or  descended  respectively 
into  the  basin  of  the  Nile  or  the  Euphrates.  It 
was,  in  a  word,  the  meeting-place  of  three  conti¬ 
nents  and  three  great  civilisations. 

While  occupying  this  important  position,  the 
main  portion  of  the  country  west  of  the  Jordan 
was  an  immense  rock-buttressed  stronghold, 
whose  gateways  to  the  plain  on  either  hand  were 
long  defiles,  or  narrow  passes,  easily  defended 
against  the  hosts  of  an  invading  army.  This  was 
especially  true  of  the  rugged  section  of  the 
central  range  which  lies  to  the  south  of  the  plain 
of  Esdraelon — the  scene  of  most  of  the  great 
events  in  the  history  of  Israel.  This  closely  com¬ 
pacted  block  of  mountain  territory  extends  to  the 
vicinity  of  Beersheba,  a  distance  of  ninety  miles, 
and  fills  up  most  of  the  space  between  the  sea 
and  the  Jordan.  It  is  almost  encircled  by  a  low¬ 
land  belt,  so  that  it  is  possible  to  pass  around 
from  the  head  of  the  Dead  Sea  by  way  of  the 
Jordan  Valley,  the  Esdraelon  and  coast  plains,  and 
the  lower  levels  of  the  South  country  to  Engedi 
— a  short  distance  from  the  starting  point — 
without  crossing  a  mountain  ridge  or  ascending 
a  prominent  elevation. 

The  Land  of  Israel,  as  a  whole,  except  the 
coast  plain,  was  also  isolated  from  the  nations 
around,  as  already  stated,  by  physical  features  of 


Introduction 


15 


unusual  character  and  combination.  The  sea,  the 
wilderness,  the  desert,  and  the  towering  moun¬ 
tains  of  Lebanon — each  in  its  place — were 
barriers  against  sudden  attack  or  invasion  from 
without. 

This  double  relation  of  exclusion  and  ready  in¬ 
tercommunication,  paradoxical  as  it  may  seem, 
was  a  necessary  feature  in  the  heritage  of  a 
people,  who  were  at  one  period  of  their  history 
to  dwell  apart  from  the  nations,  and  at  another 
to  carry  the  message  of  life  and  salvation  to  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  was  fitting,  also, 
that  the  Book,  which  contained  this  message, 
should  be  given  in  a  land  which  touched  all 
lands. 

2.  The  Exceptional  Physical  Features  of  the 
Land. — The  surface  of  the  country  is  naturally 
divided  into  four  longitudinal  sections,  viz. :  The 
maritime  plain,  the  twin  mountain  ranges,  known 
as  Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon,  and  the  deeply- 
cleft  valley  which  lies  between  them.  In  briefest 
outline,  the  prominent  physical  features  are: 
Two  parallel  mountain  ranges  and  two  corre¬ 
sponding  depressions ,  all  running  north  and 
south  throughout  the  extent  of  the  land.  Each 
of  these  sections  contributes  an  indispensable  part 
to  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  country,  giving 
to  it  a  universal  character,  which  no  other  coun¬ 
try  possesses,  within  such  limited  compass,  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  The  Lebanon  range  is 
corrugated  on  both  sides  by  deep  wadies,  and  in 
general  may  be  designated  as  a  back-bone  ridge. 


i6  Introduction 

South  of  the  head  waters  of  the  Jordan  it  seldom 
rises  to  the  height  of  3,000  feet,  but  in  the  north 
its  snow-clad  summits  at  some  points  are  more 
than  10,000  feet  above  the  sea.  The  Anti- 
Lebanon  as  a  whole  presents  a  broader  surface 
on  its  summit,  and  culminates  in  the  snow- 
covered  heights  of  Mount  Hermon,  9,383  feet 
above  the  sea.  The  valley,  or  cleft  between 
these  mountain  ridges,  has  been  fitly  character¬ 
ized  as  a  phenomenon  unique  on  the  earth’s  sur¬ 
face.  Nowhere  on  its  wrinkled  face  do  we  find 
a  furrow  so  deep,  or  so  remarkable  for  its  length, 
directness  and'  rapid  descent.  Between  the 
Lebanons  it  is  a  deep  basin,  eighty  miles  long 
and  four  to  nine  wide,  rimmed  in  by  mountain 
walls  5,000  or  6,000  feet  high.  In  the  southern 
portion  the  valley  sinks  from  sea  level  to  a  de¬ 
pression  1,300  feet  below,  in  a  distance  of  less 
than  100  miles.  If  to  this  we  add  the  lower  level 
of  the  Dead  Sea  basin,  the  depression  is  2,600 
feet,  or  nearly  one-half  of  a  mile  towards  the 
centre  of  the  earth.  Putting  it  in  another  form, 
“a  man  who  stands  at  the  margin  of  the  Dead 
Sea  is  almost  as  far  below  the  ocean  surface  as 
the  miner  in  the  lowest  depths  of  any  mine.” 
Says  Dr.  Smith:  “There  may  be  something  on 
the  surface  of  another  planet  to  match  the  Jordan 
Valley;  there  is  nothing  on  this.  No  other  part 
of  our  earth,  uncovered  by  water,  sinks  300  feet 
below  the  level  of  the  ocean.” 

From  the  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  to 
the  lowest  depths  of  the  Dead  Sea  basin  the  de- 


Introduction 


17 


pression  is  5,200  feet.  If  a  plummet  were 
dropped  from  a  level  corresponding  with  the 
summit  of  Olivet  to  this  depth,  it  would  require 
the  paying  out  of  a  line  nearly  a  mile  long;  and 
yet  the  distance  between  these  points  is  less  than 
twenty  miles. 

These  statements  can  only  give  a  partial  view 
of  the  most  striking  physiographic  features  of  the 
heritage  of  Israel,  viewed  as  a  whole.  Within 
its  limits  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  of  any 
variation  or  peculiarity  of  land  formation  that  is 
not  represented.  Here  may  be  found  in  close 
juxtaposition  sea  and  desert;  Alpine  heights  and 
phenomenal  depths;  fertile  plans  and  barren 
wilderness;  rolling  downs  and  upland  pastures; 
terraced  slopes  and  deeply  scarred  lava  beds; 
park-like  stretches  and  bleakest  moorlands; 
valleys  of  Edenic  beauty  and  dark  canons,  sug¬ 
gestive  of  the  shades  of  death;  rivers  and  lakes ; 
snow-clad  heights  and  depths  of  tropical  heat 
and  luxuriance;  ice-bound  streams  and  steaming 
fountains;  shady  glens  and  interminable  wadies; 
open  glades  and  impenetrable  jungles  of  cane  and 
papyrus — in  short,  every  feature  of  nature’s 
diversified  handiwork,  which  is  suggestive  of  the 
beautiful,  the  picturesque  or  the  sublime. 

The  variations  of  climate  correspond  with  these 
variations  in  physical  features.  The  sea,  the 
desert,  and  the  extraordinary  range  of  levels  are 
the  most  potent  influences  in  effecting  these 
variations,  which  range  from  Alpine  cold  to 
torrid  heat.  From  the  summit  of  Lebanon  to  the 


18  Introduction 

low  levels  of  the  Jordan  Valley  all  the  zones  and 
climes  of  the  earth,  with  the  flora  and  fauna 
peculiar  to  each,  are  represented.  As  the  Arabs 
have  happily  expressed  it:  “Lebanon  bears 
winter  on  its  head,  spring  on  its  shoulders,  and 
autumn  in  its  lap,  while  summer  lies  at  its  feet." 
In  a  single  day  Canon  Tristram  rode  on  horse¬ 
back  through  four  different  zones  of  plant  and 
animal  life,  passing  from  the  region  of  Scotch 
firs  on  Mount  Gilead  to  the  region  of  the 
date  palms  in  the  plains  of  the  Jordan.  From 
the  snow  fields  of  Hermon  to  the  lowest  levels  of 
the  Jordan  Valley  is  less  than  ioo  miles;  and  yet 
in  the  one  perpetual  winter  abides;  in  the  other 
there  is  never  a  trace  of  snow  or  hoarfrost. 
Betv/een  wheat  harvest  in  the  Jordan  Valley  and 
on  the  plateau  of  Jerusalem  there  is  an  interval  of 
about  four  weeks,  while  the  distance  between  is 
scarcely  more  than  sixteen  miles. 

The  feat  of  Beniah,  who  went  down  and  slew 
a  lion  in  the  midst  of  a  pit  in  the  time  of  snow, 
is  referred  to  by  Dr.  Smith  as  an  illustration  of 
the  remarkable  variation  of  climate  within  dis¬ 
tances  but  a  few  miles  apart.  To  this  he  adds 
the  statement:  “The  beast  had  strayed  up  the 
Judean  hills  from  Jordan  and  had  been  caught 
in  a  sudden  snow-storm.  Where  else  than 
Palestine  could  lions  and  snow  thus  come  to¬ 
gether  ?  " 

3.  The  close  correspondence  between  the  Land 
and  the  Book,  and  the  manifest  correspondence 
of  places  with  the  events  described ,  have  been 


Introduction 


*9 


greatly  multiplied,  and  have  grown  more  won¬ 
derful  every  year  as  the  result  of  modern  in¬ 
vestigation.  In  such  works  as  the  “  Researches  ” 
of  Dr.  Robinson,  or  the  “Land  and  the  Book," 
by  Dr.  Thomson,  who  spent  more  than  forty 
years  of  his  life  amid  the  scenes  he  has  so 
graphically  described,  there  are  proofs  and  illustra¬ 
tions  abundant,  striking  and  minute  of  the  con¬ 
nection  between  the  locality  avowedly  chosen  of 
God,  for  the  unfolding  of  His  purpose  of  grace, 
and  the  Book  in  which  this  revelation  is  made 
known. 

Its  rugged  framework  is  the  setting  of  the  Bible, 
and  correspondences  such  as  these  are  found  all 
over  the  face  of  the  land.  It  is  the  mold  into 
which  Scripture  truth  and  historic  detail  have 
been  cast  for  every  nation  and  for  all  time,  and 
wherever  tested  the  one  answers  to  the  other  as 
the  die  to  its  impress.  To  understand  the  story 
of  Gettysburg,  one  must  have  before  him  an  out¬ 
line  picture  of  the  field  on  which  the  battle  was 
fought.  Its  situation  and  configuration  must  be 
known  before  the  history  of  the  great  conflict 
can  be  intelligently  comprehended.  So  of  every 
other  event.  If  we  have  the  setting  we  can 
understand  the  story.  It  takes  on  definiteness 
and  coloring  and  lifelikeness  as  it  is  connected 
with  the  details  of  its  environment.  To  the  ordi¬ 
nary  reader  of  the  Bible  the  mention  of  a  place 
called  Dothan  in  the  story  of  Joseph’s  life 
suggests  little  or  nothing  of  special  interest,  but 
when  we  come  to  know  it  as  a  mountain-rimmed 


20 


Introduction 


plain  of  rare  beauty,  sought  out  to-day  by  the 
shepherds  when  other  pastures  fail;  when  we 
find  it  on  the  track  worn  by  the  merchantmen  of 
the  East  for  something  like  5,000  years;  when 
we  learn  that  there  are  empty  cisterns  now,  near 
to  this  great  highway,  like  that  one  in  which 
Joseph  was  imprisoned  by  his  brethren;  when 
we  find  near  by  a  perennial  spring,  around  which 
Joseph’s  brethren  probably  sat  as  he  drew  near, 
and  we  trace  down  the  wady  leading  out  from 
this  plain  the  ancient  road  to  Egypt — the  name 
and  story  are  associated  with  living  realities  of 
undying  interest,  and  imagination  truthfully  and 
vividly  reproduces  the  scene.  The  narrative  of 
Jesus  at  the  well  of  Jacob  may  be  told  with  profit, 
without  reference  to  the  place  or  its  surround¬ 
ings,  but  how  much  more  real  and  impressive 
will  the  story  be,  if  the  preacher  can  pre¬ 
sent,  in  a  few  lifelike  touches,  a  picture  of  this 
sacred  site,  and  its  environment,  as  Jesus  saw 
them  on  that  memorable  day.  In  this  sketch  he 
might  include  the  twin  mountains  which  rise 
abruptly  from  the  plain,  as  if  to  guard  the 
entrance  to  the  narrow  vale  between;  the  wide 
expanse  of  the  vast  grain  field  which  to  this  day 
stretches  away  to  the  north  and  south;  the  sites 
of  Salim,  Sychar  and  Shechem  within  easy  reach; 
the  place  of  worship  to  which  the  woman 
pointed,  on  the  summit  of  the  sacred  mountain 
of  the  Samaritans;  the  dusty  road  on  which  the 
Redeemer  travelled,  skirting  the  base  of  this 
mountain ;  and,  stranger  than  all,  the  stone  curb, 


Introduction 


21 


deeply  grooved  on  its  inner  face  by  the  water- 
drawer’s  rope,  recently  brought  to  the  light, 
on  which  for  a  few  moments  the  Saviour  rested 
His  weary  limbs  at  the  midday  hour. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  living  fountains  of 
water,  easily  distinguished  from  afar  by  the 
patches  of  “ green  pastures”  which  surround 
them,  or  partly  ruined  wells,  as  at  Beersheba  and 
the  valley  of  Gerar,  have  been  found  at  every  one 
of  the  noted  camping-places  of  the  Patriarchs. 
Not  less  interesting  in  this  connection,  is  the 
fact — vouched  for  by  Colonel  Conder  and  other 
authorities — that  large  rock  platforms,  smoothed 
and  levelled  by  human  hands,  presumably  as  the 
foundation  space  for  the  tabernacle  and  its 
courts,  have  been  found  at  Shiloh,  Gibeon  and 
Kirjath-Jearim.  In  two  of  these  places,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  sacred  record,  the  tabernacle  was 
pitched  as  a  permanent  habitation,  while  in  the 
third  the  ark  was  probably  housed  in  a  structure 
similar  to  the  tabernacle.  At  Shiloh,  the  plat¬ 
form,  or  level  court,  measures  412  feet  in  length 
by  77  in  width. 

In  the  history  of  the  Conquest  we  read  with 
wonder  of  fenced  cities,  which  seemed  to  the 
faint-hearted  spies  to  be  “  walled  up  to  heaven,” 
but  the  wonder  grows  when  we  study  the  recent 
reports  of  excavations  among  the  low  hills  on 
the  western  slope  of  Judea;  or  when  we  follow 
Warren,  Wilson  and  Bliss  through  underground 
cuttings  and  tunnels  to  the  substructions  of 
ancient  walls,  some  of  which,  if  they  were  cleared 


22 


Introduction 


to  their  bases  to-day,  would  rise  before  us  to  the 
height  of  more  than  150  feet. 

At  Tell  el  Hesy,  the  mound  of  many  cities,  the 
long  lost  stronghold  of  Lachish  has  been  un¬ 
covered  in  part  to  the  lowest  level;  and  there, 
amid  massive  brick  walls,  twenty-eight  feet 
thick,  were  found  Amorite  pottery  of  a  distinct¬ 
ive  type  and  many  other  articles,  such  as  bronze 
weapons  and  tools,  having  the  undoubted  charac¬ 
teristics  of  a  Pre-Israelite  age.  More  wonderful 
still  was  the  finding  in  this  ancient  mound  of  a 
clay  tablet  in  the  cuneiform  language  addressed  to 
Zimrida,  Governor  of  Lachish,  from  Egypt. 
This  is  the  counterpart  of  the  famous  letters 
found  at  Tell  Amarna,  in  Egypt,  in  the  year  1888, 
from  Zimrida  to  the  reigning  Pharaoh,  whose 
servant  or  vassal  he  acknowledges  himself  to  be. 

During  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  cen¬ 
tury  much  light  had  been  thrown  upon  the  vexed 
problems  relating  to  the  name,  extent  and 
antiquity  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 

Some  writers  have  spoken  of  it  as  “the  sleepy 
little  city  of  the  Jebusites  “the  little  capital  of 
a  petty  Highland  chief,”  etc.,  while  others  have 
denied  its  existence  prior  to  the  Exodus,  or  have 
refused  to  admit  that  it  was  identical  with  the 
Salem  of  Genesis  or  the  Book  of  Psalms. 

We  now  know  from  the  long-buried  tablets, 
which  were  found  at  Tell  Amarna  in  1888,  that 
the  oldest  name  of  the  city  was  not  Jebus,  as 
was  generally  supposed,  but  Salem  or  Uru- 
Salem — the  City  of  Salem — as  the  Biblical  rec- 


Introduction 


23 

ord  asserts  (Gen.  14:18;  Ps.  76:2;  Josh.  18:28; 
1  Chron.  11:4). 

Five  or  six  of  the  Tell  Amarna  tablets  were 
written  by  the  king  of  Jerusalem  to  the  reigning 
Pharaoh  more  than  a  century  before  the  Exodus; 
and  they  witness  not  only  to  the  antiquity  of  the 
city,  but  to  its  importance  as  a  royal  and  priestly 
city,  the  ruler  of  which  had  a  recognized  place 
of  influence  and  power,  at  that  time,  in  the  land. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  in  this  connection  that 
Professor  Sayce  has  found  the  same  name,  Salem, 
in  a  slightly  different  form,  among  the  name-lists 
in  the  Egyptian  records  of  the  conquest  of 
Canaan. 

As  to  the  extent  of  the  city  in  later  times  the 
late  Honorary  Secretary  of  the  Palestine  Explora¬ 
tion  Fund,  Walter  Besant,  has  this  to  say: 

“Our  researches  have  restored  the  splendors 
of  the  Holy  City,  We  have  proved  how  the  vast 
walls  of  the  Temple — the  grandest  enclosure  of 
the  finest  building  in  the  whole  world — rose  from 
deep  valleys  on  three  sides,  presenting  a  long 
facade  of  wall  crowned  with  pillars  and  porti¬ 
coes,  and  how  within  them  rose  the  gleaming 
white  marbles  of  the  Inner  House  with  its  courts 
and  its  altars,  and  its  crowd  of  priests,  and  those 
who  lived  by  the  altar. 

“Our  researches  have  shown  the  inner  valley 
bridged  by  noble  arches  and  pierced  by  sub¬ 
terranean  passages. 

“They  have  shown  the  city  provided  with  a 
magnificent  water  supply,  glorious  with  its 


24 


Introduction 


palaces,  its  gardens,  its  citadel,  its  castle,  its 
courts,  and  its  villas. 

“  It  is  a  great  town  that  we  have  restored ;  not  a 
commercial  town,  but  a  great  religious  centre,  to 
which,  at  the  Passover  season,  more  than  2,000,- 
000  people  brought  their  offerings.” 

The  close  correspondences  which  have  been 
shown  in  the  instances  already  presented  are  only 
samples  of  a  long  list  of  similar  illustrations. 
“There  are,”  says  Colonel  Conder,  “more  than 
840  places  noticed  in  the  Bible  which  were  either 
in  Palestine  or  the  desert  of  Beersheba  and  Sinai, 
and  of  these  nearly  three-quarters  have  now  been 
discovered  and  marked  on  maps.  Omitting 
those  which  may  in  any  sense  be  doubtful — and 
these  for  the  most  part  are  unimportant  or  have 
bare  mention  in  the  record — it  cannot  be  said  of 
one  that  remains  that  its  local  features  are  out  of 
harmony  with  the  history  connected  with  it 
name.” 

In  this  rapid  summary  attention  has  been 
directed  to  a  few  of  the  most  important  results  of 
recent  research  within  the  limits  of  the  Holy 
Land.  In  view  of  these  facts  the  importance  of 
this  study  as  an  aid  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  can¬ 
not  be  too  strongly  emphasized.  The  minister 
of  the  gospel  or  the  Sabbath-school  teacher  might 
go  far  afield  in  any  other  department  of  study 
before  he  would  find  such  helpful  suggestion, 
such  interesting  confirmations  of  the  historic 
statements  of  the  Bible,  and  such  a  wealth  of  in¬ 
formation  and  illustration  of  the  Scripture  text. 


Introduction 


25 


To  study  this  Land  in  its  relation  to  the  Book, 
whose  pages  are  everywhere  stamped  with  its 
characteristic  features,  is  to  live  and  move  amid 
its  hallowed  memories,  and  to  feel  the  uplift  and 
inspiration  of  its  ever-preseiit,  sublime  realities. 


I 

HEBRON, — THE  RESTING-PLACE  OF  THE  PATRIARCHS 

Three  of  the  sacred  cities  of  Palestine, — Jeru¬ 
salem,  Bethlehem  and  Hebron — are  on  the  main 
ridge,  or  plateau,  of  the  “Hill  Country”  of 
Judea. 

Hebron,  the  farthest  to  the  south,  is  less  than 
twenty  miles  from  Jerusalem  and  is  connected 
with  it  by  a  good  carriage  road,  recently  extended 
from  Bethlehem.  This  road  follows  the  line  of 
the  ancient  highway  over  which  the  Patriarchs 
travelled  to  the  “Southland”;  and  at  several 
points  broken  sections  of  the  old  Roman  road 
have  also  been  found. 

The  location  of  Hebron  seems  to  have  been 
originally  determined  by  the  beauty  and  fertility 
of  its  immediate  surroundings,  rather  than  its 
availability  for  security  or  defense.  A  careful 
examination  of  the  ground  by  recent  explorers 
has  confirmed  the  impression  that  the  modern 
city,  which  lies  in  a  narrow,  upland  valley  de¬ 
scending  from  the  northwest,  covers,  for  the 
most  part,  the  site  of  the  city  as  it  existed  in  the 
days  of  Abraham  and  Joshua. 

There  are  substructions,  and  ancient  ruins 
above  ground,  to  the  northwest,  indicating  an 

extension  at  one  time  beyond  the  present  limits, 

27 


28 


Memorable  Places 


but  the  main  part  of  the  town  must  always  have 
been  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Haram  and  the  great 
pools  on  which  it  depended  for  its  water  supply. 
While  occupying  this  exceptional  position, — 

(under  a  hill  rather  than  on  it — Hebron  is  never¬ 
theless  the  highest  city  above  sea  level  south  of 
the  Esdraelon  plain  in  Western  Palestine.  Its 
altitude — 3,029  feet — is  nearly  600  feet  above  the 
summit  of  Mount  Moriah,  and  more  than  4,000 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  Dead  Sea.  At  this 
elevation  the  land  of  Judah  yields  the  best  of  its 
harvests  and  the  richest  of  its  fruitage.  To  the 
traveller  who  has  reached  this  place,  in  the  spring¬ 
time,  by  way  of  the  desert,  or  over  the  long,  arid 
ridges  which  lie  to  the  north  or  the  south,  the 
environs  of  Hebron  present  a  picture  of  rare 
beauty  and  attractiveness.  /The  long,  narrow 
valley  in  which  the  city  has  nestled  for  so  many 
centuries  is  a  well  watered  tract.  Its  green  pas¬ 
tures  and  luxuriant  gardens  cover  every  unoc¬ 
cupied  point  of  its  surface  and  extend  for  some 
distance  up  the  slopes  of  the  hills  which  environ 
it.  On  the  terraced  hillsides  above  this  green 
basin  there  are  picturesque  groupings  of  fruit 
trees, — fig,  apricot,  pomegranate,  almond  and 
olive — with  here  and  there  a  thickly-set  vineyard, 
surrounded  by  massive  stone  walls. 

The  Vale  of  Mamre,  which  opens  out  to  the 
northwest,  has  long  been  famous  for  the  choice 
products  of  its  vineyards  and  oliveyards.  Here 
|  vineyard  joins  to  vineyard,  and  every  foot  of 
ground  is  carefully  cultivated.  Nowhere  in  all 


( 


The  great  Mosque  which  covers  the  site  of  the  cave  of  Machelah  is  a  conspicuous 

object  in  the  background  of  the  picture. 


29 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

the  land  at  the  present  time  are  the  vineyards  so 
numerous  and  extensive.  The  vine-stalks,  which 
are  usually  cut  off  five  or  six  feet  from  the 
ground  and  supported  at  the  end  by  forked 
sticks,  at  an  angle  of  about  thirty  degrees,  are  as 
stout  as  the  vines  which  grow  in  our  green 
houses  and  conservatories,  and  the  clusters  of 
grapes  which  they  support  are  exceptionally 
large  and  luscious. 

f  Among  the  vineyards  at  the  northern  end  of 
the  valley,  something  more  than  a  mile  from 
Hebron,  there  is  a  famous  tree,  known  as  Abra¬ 
ham’s  Oak,  which  is  supposed  to  stand  on  or  | 
near  the  site  of  the  camping-place  of  the  Patri¬ 
arch  when  he  received  the  visit  of  the  angels.  It 
is  an  evergreen  oak,  or  Sindian,  as  the  natives 
call  it,  and  is  at  least  two  or  three  centuries  old. 
Its  girth,  a  few  inches  above  the  ground,  is 
twenty-three  feet,  and  formerly  its  branches 
covered  an  area  of  more  than  ninety  feet  in 
diameter.  ?  In  recent  years  some  of  its  largest 
branches  have  been  broken  off  by  the  storms, 
and  it  has  lost  the  greater  part  of  its  leafy  crown. 
This  magnificent  tree  while  it  has  no  direct  con¬ 
nection  with  Abraham  is  a  worthy  successor  of 
the  great  oaks, — far  more  numerous  in  ancient 
times  than  now — which  once  grew  singly  or  in 
groves  on  many  a  ridge  or  high  place  all  along 
the  line  of  the  patriarchal  highway  from  Shechem 
to  Hebron. 

A  very  ancient  tradition  has  associated  Mamre 
with  the  “Vale  of  Eshcol”;  and  certainly  so 


3° 


Memorable  Places 


far  as  present  indications  can  aid  in  the  determi¬ 
nation  of  this  location  there  is  no  place  where  the 
products  of  the  vine  may  be  found  in  larger 
clusters  or  richer  profusion.  There  are  evi¬ 
dences,  however,  that  extensive  vineyards  were 
cultivated  long  centuries  ago  in  the  Negeb,  or 
south  country, — now  given  over  to  barrenness  and 
desolation — and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  great 
cluster,  which  the  spies  secured,  on  the  return 
journey  as  a  specimen  of  the  products  of  the 
good  land,  was  taken  from  some  fertile  valley  in 
this  locality.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  an 
account  of  Hebron  and  its  environs,  given  by  an 
Arab  traveller  about  a.  d.  iooo  corresponds,  at 
nearly  every  point,  with  its  present  condition. 
“All  the  country  about  Hebron,”  he  says,  “for 
the  distance  of  half  a  stage,  is  filled  with  villages 
and  vineyards,  and  grounds  bearing  grapes  and 
apples,  and  it  is  even  as  though  it  were  all  but  a 
single  orchard  of  vines  and  fruit  trees.  The  dis¬ 
trict  goes  by  the  name  of  Jebel  Nusrah.  Its  equal 
for  beauty  does  not  exist  elsewhere,  nor  can 
fruits  be  finer.  A  great  part  of  them  are  sent 
away  to  Egypt  and  into  all  the  country  around.” 

Hebron  in  its  structure  and  general  appearance, 
as  well  as  in  its  history,  is  a  city  of  the  past.  Its 
residents  are  bigoted  Moslems,  who  look  with 
distrust  upon  the  introduction  of  all  modern  im¬ 
provements,  and  strenuously  resist  the  conces¬ 
sions  to  Western  civilization,  which  have  partially 
transformed  other  portions  of  the  land.  Because 
of  this  conservatism  in  customs  and  habits  of  life 


'BflBt—f 


■ . 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  31 

it  has  been  said  with  truth  that  “  no  city  in  Pales¬ 
tine  so  carries  one  back  to  earliest  patriarchal 
times."  The  houses  are  built  of  smooth  hard  lime¬ 
stone  and  in  general  are  two  stories  high  and 
closely  joined  together.  Many  have  domed  roofs 
as  in  Jerusalem,  and  other  cities  of  the  East. 
The  streets  are  narrow  and  dark  and  the  bazars 
are  jumbled  together  in  dingy  recesses  and  tun- 
nel-like  closes,  where,  at  times,  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  make  headway  against  the  jostling 
crowd. 

In  the  Vale  of  Hebron  there  are  two  great  pools 
or  reservoirs  which  without  doubt  are  of  great 
antiquity.  They  are  strongly  built  of  hewn  stone 
with  steps  leading  down  to  the  water  from  the 
four  corners.  The  smaller  one,  on  the  western 
outskirts  of  Hebron,  is  eighty-five  feet  long  and 
fifty-five  wide;  its  depth  is  about  nineteen  feet. 
The  larger  pool  is  lower  down  in  the  valley  at  the 
south  side  of  the  city.  It  is  one  hundred  and 
thirty-three  feet  square  and  twenty-two  feet 
deep.  There  can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  this  is 
“the  Pool  in  Hebron"  where  David  hanged  up 
the  hands  and  feet  of  the  murderers  of  Ish-bosheth. 
The  carefully  squared  stones  which  surround  this 
gleaming  water-mirror  in  the  green  valley  were 
put  in  place  long  before  the  foundations  of 
Athens  or  Rome  were  laid:  and  yet  this  relic  of 
the  past  upon  which  David  looked  in  his  youthful 
days,  is  modern  in  comparison  with  the  rock- 
hewn  sepulchre  of  the  patriarchs,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  valley.  This  hallowed  site,  the  most 


32 


Memorable  Places 


authentic  and  interesting  of  all  the  ancient  burial 
places  on  earth,  has  been  carefully  guarded  from 
intrusion  for  many  centuries,  by  the  high  walls 
of  the  Haram,  or  sanctuary,  which  enclose  it; 
and  the  forbidden  ground  within  the  precincts  of 
the  great  mosque,  which  covers  it.  This  massive 
structure,  with  its  minarets,  buttresses  and  sur¬ 
rounding  walls,  occupies  the  highest  part  of  the 
town  and  looms  up  conspicuously  above  all  other 
objects  within  the  limits  of  the  valley. 

The  Haram  wall,  according  to  the  measure¬ 
ments  given  by  Dr.  Robinson,  is  200  feet  in 
length,  150  in  breadth  and  60  feet  in  height.  It 
is  built  of  large,  drafted,  smoothly-hewn  stones, 
which  in  style  and  dressing  resemble  the  great 
stones  in  the  foundation  of  the  wall  of  the  Temple 
area  in  Jerusalem.  One  of  these  stones  is  thirty- 
eight  feet  long  and  three  or  four  feet  in  depth. 
There  are  sixteen  square  pilasters,  without  capi¬ 
tals  or  well-defined  cornices,  on  each  side  and 
eight  on  the  ends.  “These  pilasters,”  says  Dr. 
Thomson,  “are  a  feature  quite  unique,  and 
mark  it  off  from  any  other  edifice  I  have  ex¬ 
amined.” 

The  position  which  the  Haram  occupies  neces¬ 
sitated  the  cutting  away  of  the  rocks  on  the 
upper  side  in  order  to  secure  space  for  the  foun¬ 
dation  walls.  In  other  words  the  building  was 
fitted  into  the  hillside;  and  hence  the  rock  within, 
— as  Dr.  Henderson  suggests — must  be  an  iso¬ 
lated  knoll.  As  it  originally  appeared,  however, 
the  entrance  to  the  tomb  was  in  the  face  of  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  33 

low  cliff,  or  ledge,  which  extends  for  some  dis¬ 
tance  along  the  hillside. 

In  the  Memoirs  of  the  Survey  Party  (Vol.  Ill, 
p.  346)  the  writer  says, — “  It  would  almost  seem 
as  if  the  Hebron  Haram  were  a  copy  in  miniature 
of  the  Temple  enclosures  at  Jerusalem.”  This 
similarity  to  which  Dr.  Robinson  directed  attention 
nearly  sixty  years  ago,  is  more  strongly  marked 
in  the  older  portion  of  the  wall  of  the  Temple 
area  than  in  that  which  Warren  and  others  regard 
as  an  addition ,  dating  from  the  reign  of  Herod. 
This  fact  seems  to  be  overlooked  by  Colonel 
Conder  and  some  of  the  later  authorities,  who 
maintain  that  the  Hebron  Haram  is  the  work  of 
the  Herodian  period.  It  is  a  significant  fact,  also, 
that  there  is  no  evidence,  furnished  by  history  or 
tradition,  which  connects  Herod  the  Great  or  any 
of  his  successors  with  this  great  work.  On  the 
contrary  it  is  implied  by  Josephus  in  the  “  history 
of  the  Jewish  Wars  ”  that  costly  buildings,  noted 
for  their  admirable  construction,  were  on  this  site 
before  his  time;  and  in  the  “Antiquities”  (I, 
XIV)  he  tells  us  that  “  both  Abraham  and  his  de¬ 
scendants  built  themselves  sepulchres,  or  monu¬ 
ments,  in  that  place.”  However  this  may  be  it 
is  scarcely  possible  that  the  descendants  of  Abra¬ 
ham,  who  held  this  sacred  burial-place  as  a  pos¬ 
session  for  a  stretch  of  nearly  fifteen  centuries, 
should  leave  it  to  be  unmarked  or  unguarded  from 
generation  to  generation. 

A  summary  of  the  argument  in  support  of  an 
earlier  date  than  that  of  Herod  is  admirably  given 


34 


Memorable  Places 


by  Dean  Stanley  in  his  “History  of  the  Jewish 
Church  ''  (Vol.  I,  p.  482).  In  concluding  he  says, 
“The  walls,  as  they  now  stand,  and  as  Josephus 
speaks  of  them,  must  have  been  built  before  his 
time.  The  terms  which  he  uses  imply  this;  and 
he  omits  to  mention  them  amongst  the  works  of 
Herod  the  Great,  the  only  potentate  who  could 
or  would  have  built  them  in  his  time,  and 
amongst  whose  buildings  they  must  have  occu¬ 
pied,  if  at  all,  a  distinguished  place.  But,  if  not 
erected  by  Herod,  there  is  then  no  period  at 
which  we  can  stop  short  of  the  monarchy.  So 
elaborate  and  costly  a  structure  is  inconceivable 
in  the  disturbed  and  impoverished  state  of  the 
nation  after  the  return.  It  is  to  the  kings,  at 
least,  that  the  walls  must  be  referred,  and,  if  so, 
to  none  so  likely  as  one  of  the  sovereigns  to 
whom  they  are  ascribed  by  Jewish  and  Mussul¬ 
man  tradition,  David  or  Solomon.  Beyond  this 
we  can  hardly  expect  to  find  a  continuous 
proof." 

The  only  opening  from  the  outside  in  the 
Haram  wall  is  the  grand  portal  through  which 
the  Moslem  worshippers  enter  the  mosque. 

This  door  was  broken  through  the  wall  by 
order  of  one  of  the  Caliphs  in  the  tenth  century. 
It  is  probable  that  the  original  entrance  to  the 
enclosure,  prior  to  the  erection  of  the  Moslem 
addition,  now  known  as  Joseph’s  tomb,  was  in 
the  northeast  corner.  Canon  Dalton,  a  compe¬ 
tent  authority  on  this  point,  asserts  that  there  are 
no  traces  of  an  entrance  visible  in  the  exterior 


35 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

walls  anywhere  else:  and  as  this  is  the  only  place 
where  the  Moslem  additions  cover  up  the  walls 
to  any  extent,  he  concludes  that  the  original  en¬ 
trance,  in  Herodian  and  Byzantine  times,  must 
now  be  covered  by  this  erection. 

The  Cave  of  Machpelah  is  in  the  southern  end  of 
the  enclosure,  and  the  massive  building  which 
covers  it  occupies  about  one  third  of  the  Haram 
area.  This  building  was  originally  a  Christian 
Church,  and,  as  its  construction  indicates,  was 
partly  Byzantine  and  partly  mediaeval.  When  it 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Moslems,  in  the  year 
1 187,  it  was  converted  into  a  mosque.  For  more 
than  seven  centuries  the  entrance  to  this  mosque 
has  been  sacredly  guarded  by  a  hereditary  suc¬ 
cession  of  Moslem  rulers,  known  as  the  “guard¬ 
ians  of  the  mosque.” 

At  the  present  time  this  guard  of  honor  num¬ 
bers  forty,  and  they  are  comfortably  housed  in 
buildings  adjacent  to  the  Haram.  Two  or  three 
travellers,  who  did  not  profess  the  Moslem  faith, 
claim  to  have  entered  the  mosque,  by  special 
favor  or  in  disguise,  prior  to  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  but  these  claims  have  not 
been  established  by  satisfactory  evidence.  In 
modern  times  the  first  representatives  of  the 
Christian  faith  who  were  permitted  to  enter  this 
long  guarded  shrine,  were  the  Prince  of  Wales — 
now  Edward  VII  of  England — and  his  party  in 
the  year  1862.  Dean  Stanley,  who  was  one  of 
this  distinguished  company,  has  given  a  careful 
description  of  the  interior  of  the  building,  and 


Memorable  Places 


36 

this  account  has  been  supplemented  by  the  narra¬ 
tive  of  others  who  have  been  accorded  the  like 
privilege  at  later  dates.  These  persons  are  the 
Marquis  of  Bute  and  party,  who  entered  the 
mosque  in  1866;  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia — 
the  late  Emperor  Frederick  III  of  Germany — in 
1869;  the  Princes  Albert  and  George,  sons  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  accompanied  by  Sir  Charles 
Wilson  and  Colonel  Conder,  in  April,  1882;  and 
General  Lew  Wallace  and  Dr.  Selah  Merrill,  with 
a  small  party  of  friends  in  November  of  the  same 
year  (1882). 

The  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  visit  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales  were  almost  insuperable,  but 
wise  diplomacy  and  the  incentives  of  political  in¬ 
terests  at  length  prevailed.  It  is  said  that  when 
the  royal  party  came  to  the  chapel  dedicated  to 
Abraham,  the  guardians  groaned  aloud,  while 
their  chief  with  evident  agitation,  exclaimed: 
“  The  Princes  of  any  other  nation  should  have 
passed  over  my  dead  body  sooner  than  enter. 
But  to  the  eldest  son  of  the  Queen  of  England, 
we  are  willing  to  accord  this  privilege.” 

'‘Once  within  the  mosque,”  says  Dr.  Merrill, 
“my  feelings  were  those  of  disappointment, — 
first,  at  its  size.  It  is  not  large  or  imposing. 
This  may  be  due  partly  to  the  fact  that  the  space 
is  divided  into  different  rooms.  Secondly  I  was 
disappointed  to  find  it  in  such  a  neglected  condi¬ 
tion.  The  ornamentation  on  the  walls  had  fallen 
here  and  there,  and  the  general  air  was  one  of 
dilapidation  and  decay.  On  the  other  hand  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  37 

floor  of  the  mosque  was  covered  with  some  of 
the  most  elegant  Turkish  rugs  that  I  have  ever 
seen.” 

The  same  writer  describes  the  position  and 
characteristics  of  the  monumental  tombs  as  fol¬ 
lows: — “The  Mediaeval  church  at  the  southern 
end  of  the  building  contains  the  tombs  of  Isaac 
and  Rebekah.  In  the  porch  on  the  right  hand  as 
one  enters  the  church  is  the  tomb  of  Abraham, 
and  on  the  left  that  of  Sarah.  Across  the  open 
court,  and  in  the  northern  end  of  the  building, 
are  the  tombs  of  Jacob  and  Leah,  while  that  of 
Joseph  is  in  an  adjoining  apartment,  as  if  it  were 
an  afterthought  to  the  original  group.  These  six 
tombs,  not  counting  that  of  Joseph,  are  arranged 
on  the  floor  of  the  mosque  at  equal  distances  from 
each  other.  They  are  in  reality  only  cenotaphs 
eight  feet  long,  four  feet  wide  and  six  feet 
high,  all  being  about  the  same  size  and  shape, 
and  having  rounded  tops.  They  are  covered 
with  costly  pieces  of  silk,  embroidered  with  gold, 
those  on  the  men’s  tombs  being  green  and  those 
on  the  women’s  bright  rose  color — the  gifts  of 
Sultans  or  other  worldly  and  powerful  defenders 
of  the  Moslem  faith.  Each  cenotaph  stands  in  a 
separate  enclosure  or  room,  the  entrance  to  which 
is  guarded  by  a  railing  or  gate.  Those  belonging 
to  the  tombs  of  Abraham  and  Sarah  were  said  to 
be  of  silver;  but  where  the  silver  had  been  worn 
away  we  saw  that  the  gates  were  really  made  of 
iron.”  This  description  makes  it  plain  that  the 
cenotaphs  or  monuments  on  the  floor  of  the 


Memorable  Places 


38 

mosque  do  not  indicate  the  relative  position  of 
the  bodies  in  the  cave,  or  crypt  below,  as  some 
writers  have  asserted.  They  only  represent  the 
real  tombs  in  the  rock-hewn  cave,  the  entrance  to 
which  has  long  been  closed  to  Moslems  as  well 
as  to  the  adherents  of  the  Jewish  and  Christian 
faiths,  and  their  position  was  evidently  deter¬ 
mined  by  the  internal  arrangements  of  the  build¬ 
ing  and  the  convenience  of  the  worshippers. 

The  most  interesting  thing  which  has  been  de¬ 
scribed  in  connection  with  the  Mediaeval  church 
is  a  round  hole  in  the  floor,  a  few  steps  south  of 
the  cenotaph  of  Abraham.  This  opening  pierces 
the  roof  of  a  square  chamber,  which  appears  to 
be  the  vestibule,  or  outer  court,  of  the  Cave  of 
Machpelah.  This  chamber  is  lighted  by  a  silver 
lamp,  suspended  by  a  chain  from  the  mouth  of 
the  opening.  Looking  down  into  the  chamber, 
with  the  lamp  lowered  to  the  floor,  Colonel  Con- 
der  saw  a  small  square  door  in  its  south  wall. 
This  he  describes,  as  just  like  the  doors  of 
rock-cut  tombs  all  through  Palestine. 

This  aperture,  too  small  for  the  entrance  of  a 
human  body,  is  the  only  visible  connection  or 
opening,  so  far  as  known  at  the  present  time,  with 
the  Cave  of  Machpelah  of  the  patriarchs.  Down 
this  hole  the  Moslems  drop  their  written  prayers, 
but  a  superstitious  dread  of  fatal  consequences  re¬ 
strains  them  from  entering  the  precincts  of  this 
sacred  burial-place,  and  there  is  no  reliable  evidence 
that  any  one  has  entered  it  within  the  last  six  hun¬ 
dred  years.  “  Once,  they  say,  centuries  ago,  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  39 

servant  of  a  great  King  entered  the  cave,  but  re¬ 
turned  blind  and  deaf,  wrinkled  and  crippled.” 
During  the  period  of  the  Crusades  no  obstacles 
were  in  the  way  of  explorers,  and  without  doubt 
there  was  at  that  time  a  stairway  leading  down 
from  the  church  to  the  cave.  If  the  vague  ac¬ 
counts  which  have  come  down  to  us  from  that 
period  can  be  relied  upon,  the  cave,  as  they  saw 
it,  was  double,  with  a  vestibule,  or  entrance  room 
in  front.  They  also  make  mention  of  six  oblong 
stone  slabs  upon  which  the  figures  of  the  patri¬ 
archs  and  their  wives  were  cut  in  relief.  These 
stone  effigies,  says  Canon  Dalton,  which  are  sim¬ 
ilar  to  those  of  the  Norman  period,  would  in 
course  of  time  become  covered  with  a  green  dis¬ 
coloration  and  deposit,  owing  to  the  dampness 
of  the  cave,  and  hence  the  patriarchs’  bodies  are 
described  by  those  who  have  seen  them  since 
that  date  to  be  ‘‘clothed  in  green  garments.” 

The  story  of  the  successive  burials  in  this  hal¬ 
lowed  spot  is  given  us,  in  language  singularly 
chaste  and  pathetic,  in  the  solemn  charge  which 
Jacob  gave  to  his  sons  on  his  deathbed  in  the 
land  of  Egypt — “And  he  charged  them,  and  said 
unto  them,  I  am  to  be  gathered  unto  my  people: 
bury  me  with  my  fathers  in  the  cave  that  is  in 
the  field  of  Machpelah,  which  is  before  Mamre, 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  which  Abraham  bought 
with  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite  for  a  posses¬ 
sion  of  aburying-place. — There  they  buried  Abra¬ 
ham  and  Sarah  his  wife;  there  they  buried  Isaac 
and  Rebekah  his  wife;  and  there  I  buried  Leah.” 


40 


Memorable  Places 


In  the  fulfillment  of  this  sacred  obligation  Jo¬ 
seph  and  his  brethren  reverently  carried  the  em¬ 
balmed  body  of  Jacob,  their  father,  up  to  Hebron 
in  the  land  of  Canaan.  In  this  funeral  cortege 
there  was  a  very  great  company,  not  of  Hebrews 
only  but  of  Egyptian  chariots  and  horsemen, 
“with  all  the  servants  of  Pharoah,  the  elders  of 
his  house,  and  all  the  elders  of  the  land  of 
Egypt.”  The  splendor  and  magnificence  of  this 
funeral  escort,  which,  journeying  over  hill  and 
valley  for  more  than  two  hundred  miles,  paused, 
at  length,  for  the  final  ceremonies  of  honor  and 
affection  before  the  entrance  of  the  Cave  of  Mach- 
pelah, — are  probably  without  a  parallel  in  the  an¬ 
nals  of  human  history. 

Hebron  is  one  of  the  oldest  centres  of  civilized 
life  in  this  portion  of  the  ancient  world.  It  is 
probably  as  old,  if  not  older,  than  Damascus,  and 
like  this  city  of  the  plain  it  has  had  a  continuous 
history  from  the  first  permanent  occupation  of 
the  country  until  the  present  time.  In  the  book 
of  Numbers  the  statement  is  incidentally  given 
that  Hebron  was  built  seven  years  before  Zoan, 
or  Tanis,  the  capital  of  the  shepherd  kings  in 
Egypt.  “This  coupling  of  Zoan  with  a  Pales¬ 
tinian  city,”  says  Mr.  Flinders  Petrie,  “shows 
that  the  building  must  refer  to  a  settlement  by 
Shemites,  and  not  by  Egyptians;  and  consider¬ 
ing  the  age  of  Hebron  it  probably  refers  to  the 
settlement  before  the  eleventh  dynasty.” 

In  the  course  of  its  long  and  eventful  history 
Hebron  has  been  in  turn  the  city  of  the  Hittites; 


4i 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

of  the  Patriarchs;  of  the  Anakim,  the  much 
dreaded  giant  race  of  the  land;  of  Caleb,  the 
hardy  veteran  and  leader  in  Joshua’s  hosts;  of 
the  Kohathites,  who  kept  its  gates  open  for  a 
city  of  refuge;  of  David,  who  was  crowned  in 
this  place  and  reigned  over  Judah  for  “seven 
years  and  six  months  ”;  of  Absalom,  the  usurper, 
who  raised  the  standard  of  rebellion  within  its 
walls;  of  Rehoboam;  of  the  exiles  from  Baby¬ 
lon;  of  the  Edomites;  of  the  Maccabees;  of  the 
Romans;  of  the  Crusaders,  and  of  the  Moslems. 
Among  all  the  shadowy  hosts  which  pass  before 
us  in  connection  with  these  periods  of  occupa¬ 
tion  no  single  character  has  left  so  deep  an  im¬ 
pression  upon  this  spot  as  the  wandering  shep¬ 
herd  from  the  plains  of  Chaldea,  whose  tent  was 
pitched  for  a  time  in  the  “Vale  of  Mamre  before 
Hebron,”  and  whose  only  possession  in  or  about 
the  city  was  the  rock-hewn  burial-place  within 
its  suburbs,  which  he  bought  of  Ephron,  the 
Hittite. 

By  the  Moslems  as  well  as  by  the  Hebrews 
and  Christians  Abraham  is  acknowledged  and 
revered  as  the  “Father  of  the  Faithful”;  and  the 
city  which  holds  his  tomb  is  one  of  the  four 
sacred  cities  of  the  Moslem  world. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  also  that  throughout  the 
Arabic-speaking  world  the  city  with  which  he 
was  so  intimately  associated  has  been  known, 
for  long  ages,  as  the  city  of  “  The  Friend.” 
This  abbreviated  title,  in  the  sense  in  which  the 
Moslems  use  it,  means  the  “Friend  of  Allah”: 


42 


Memorable  Places 


and  is  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  Biblical  ex¬ 
pression  with  which  we  are  familiar,  — “The 
Friend  of  God.” 

As  Dr.  Norman  Macleod  has  happily  expressed 
it: — “This  is  the  only  spot  on  earth  which  at¬ 
tracts  to  it  all  who  possess  the  one  creed,  ‘  I  be¬ 
lieve  in  God.’ 

“The  Holy  Sepulchre,  in  Jerusalem,  separates 
Moslem,  Jew,  and  Christian;  here  they  assemble 
together.  The  Moslem  guards  this  place  as  dear 
and  holy.  The  Jew  from  every  land  draws  near 
to  it  with  reverence  and  love,  and  his  kisses  have 
left  an  impress  on  its  stones.  Christians  of  every 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  creed,  visit  the  spot 
with  a  reverence  equally  affectionate.  And  who 
lies  here  ?  a  great  king  or  conqueror  ?  a  man 
famous  for  his  genius  or  learning ?  No;  but  an 
old  shepherd  who  pitched  his  tent  4,000  years 
ago  among  these  hills,  a  stranger  and  a  pilgrim 
in  the  land,  and  who  was  known  only  as  El- 
Khulil,  ‘The  Friend.’  By  that  blessed  name, 
Abram  was  known  while  he  lived;  by  that  name 
he  is  remembered  where  he  lies  buried;  and  by 
that  name  the  city  is  called  after  him.  And  it  is 
when  all  men  through  faith  become  with  him 
Friends  of  God,  that  all  shall  be  blessed  along 
with  ‘faithful  Abraham.’  ” 


II 


BETHLEHEM, — THE  BIRTHPLACE  OF  JESUS 

There  are  two  towns  in  Palestine  which  have 
borne  the  name,  Bethlehem,  from  the  days  of 
Joshua  until  the  present  time.  One  is  in  the  ter¬ 
ritory  originally  assigned  to  Zebulun,  about 
seven  miles  southwest  of  Nazareth;  the  other  is 
in  the  hill  country  of  Judah,  a  little  more  than 
five  miles  south  of  Jerusalem.  The  northern 
town  is  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  allot¬ 
ment  of  the  tribes  under  Joshua,  and  again  in  the 
book  of  Judges  as  the  home  of  Ibzan,  the  suc¬ 
cessor  of  the  warrior-judge  Jephthah  (Josh.  19: 
15  ;  Judges  12: 8-10). 

The  original  designation  of  the  town  in  Judah 
was  Ephrath.  It  had  this  name  in  the  days  of 
the  patriarchs — a  term  indicative  of  its  fruitful 
surroundings — but  after  the  conquest  it  was 
known  as  Beth-lehem,  the  house  of  bread.  In 
the  earlier  period  of  Jewish  history  it  was  usually 
distinguished  from  Bethlehem  in  Zebulun  by  the 
double  name  Bethlehem-Judah,  or  Bethlehem- 
Ephratah. 

For  many  centuries  the  ancient  city  of  Zebulun 
has  been  in  ruins,  and  its  existence  has  been  al¬ 
most  forgotten;  while  Bethlehem-Ephratah,  once 
among  the  least  of  the  cities  of  Judah  has  become 

43 


44 


Memorable  Places 


the  chief  of  all  the  hallowed  places  of  the  Land, 
and  its  name  to-day  is  one  of  the  most  familiar 
household  words  throughout  the  wide  domain 
of  Christendom.  Bethlehem  is  on  the  line  of  one 
of  the  most  ancient  caravan  routes  from  Syria  to 
Egypt,  and,  like  Bethel,  Jerusalem  and  Hebron, 
its  suburbs  extend  eastward  almost  to  the  border 
of  the  Wilderness  of  Judea.  A  few  years  ago 
this  roadway  was  graded  and  made  wide  enough 
for  carriages  as  far  as  Hebron.  It  begins  at  the 
Jaffa  gate  of  Jerusalem  and  follows  the  valley  of 
Hinnom  as  far  as  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
city  wall.  Thence  it  continues  southward  to  the 
entrance  of  the  broad  valley  or  plain  of  Rephaim, 
which  it  traverses  for  a  mile  or  more  until  it  con¬ 
tracts  into  a  narrow  valley  and  bears  off  to  the 
west.  From  this  point  the  route  ascends  the 
northern  slope  of  a  rocky  ridge  to  the  Greek  con¬ 
vent  of  Mar  Elyas,  which  occupies  a  command¬ 
ing  outlook  in  a  slight  depression  on  its  summit. 
From  this  elevation  the  traveller  gets  his  first 
glimpse  of  Bethlehem,  and  here  also  he  can  see 
a  portion  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  From  Mar 
Elyas  the  road  descends  to  Rachel’s  Tomb  where 
it  diverges  slightly  from  the  main  route  and  leads 
by  a  gradual  ascent  to  the  gate  of  the  city. 

Bethlehem  crowns  the  summit  of  a  long, 
chalky  ridge  which  projects  eastward  from  the 
main  range.  On  the  north,  east  and  west  where 
the  ridge  stands  clear  of  the  plateau  the  slopes, 
naturally  abrupt,  have  been  fashioned  by  the 
hand  of  man  into  irregular  groupings  of  broad 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  45 

terraces,  rising  in  places  like  giant  stairways  to 
the  summit. 

These  terraces  are  supported  by  retaining  walls 
of  large  stone  blocks  and  within  these  stone 
ramparts  the  rich  alluvial  soil  carried  up  from  the 
valleys  nourishes  acres  of  vineyards  and  olive 
yards,  with  here  and  there  a  grove  or  orchard  of 
flourishing  fig  and  almond-trees.  Nowhere  in 
all  the  hill  country  of  Judah  do  we  find  a  succes¬ 
sion  of  terraced  slopes  in  a  state  of  better  preser¬ 
vation,  and  nowhere  can  we  get  a  better  impres¬ 
sion  of  the  advantages  of  this  ancient  method  of 
cultivation,  by  which,  in  the  good  days  of 
Israel’s  prosperity,  the  hills  now  barren  and 
waste  yielded  rich  harvests  of  grass  and  grain 
as  well  as  the  choicest  fruits  of  the  olive,  the  fig, 
and  the  vine. 

As  seen  from  the  northern  and  eastern  ap¬ 
proaches  the  terraced  heights,  which  sweep  in 
graceful  curves  around  the  shoulder  of  the  hill, 
the  long  line  of  white  houses,  which  seem  to  rise 
in  tiers  above  them,  the  steep  ascent  to  the  gate, 
and  the  pile  of  massive  fortress-like  buildings, 
which  surround  the  Church  of  the  Nativity — 
present  a  picture  of  rare  beauty  and  attractive¬ 
ness.  While  nominally  a  Christian  village,  Beth¬ 
lehem  retains  more  of  the  ancient  Jewish  types 
of  village  life  and  architecture  than  any  other 
town  of  Southern  Palestine.  In  its  solidly  con¬ 
structed  stone  houses,  with  central  courts;  its 
flat  roofs;  its  latticed  windows  and  its  narrow 
streets,  flanked  by  blank  walls  on  either  hand; 


Memorable  Places 


46 

we  see  far  more  of  the  ancient  than  of  the  medi¬ 
aeval  or  the  modern.  Says  Canon  Tristram, 
“This  chalky  ridge  crowned  with  the  long  nar¬ 
row  street,  with  various  alleys  on  either  side  of 
it,  presents  us  with  one  of  the  few  remaining 
specimens  of  an  old  Jewish  city,  for,  excepting 
in  the  disappearance  of  the  wall,  it  is  probably 
unchanged  in  architecture  and  arrangement  from 
what  it  was  in  the  days  of  David.”  Founded 
upon  the  living  rock  and  undisturbed  by  battles 
and  sieges  through  most,  if  not  all  the  ages  of 
its  existence  Bethlehem  has  suffered  but  little 
from  change  and  decay.  Ancient  Jerusalem  has 
passed  through  more  than  a  score  of  sieges  and 
now  lies  under  ruin  heaped  upon  ruin,  but  Beth¬ 
lehem  in  the  midst  of  the  destructions  and  deso¬ 
lation  which  have  swept  over  the  land  of  Judah, 
has  ever  been  a  sheltered  spot;  and,  as  becometh 
the  birthplace  of  the  Lord  of  Glory,  has  remained 
through  all  the  changeful  centuries,  a  “home  of 
peace,” — a  “house  of  plenty.” 

«  O  little  town  of  Bethlehem 
How  still  we  see  thee  lie ; 

Above  thy  deep  and  dreamless  sleep 
The  silent  stars  go  by.” 

The  first  mention  of  this  upland  village  is  in 
connection  with  a  pathetic  incident  in  the  life  of 
Jacob,  well  nigh  forty  centuries  ago.  As  the 
patriarch,  after  many  years  of  absence  in  Padan 
Aram,  drew  near  to  this  place  on  his  return 
journey  to  the  home  of  his  childhood  in  the  South 


47 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

country,  his  beloved  wife  Rachel  was  prostrated 
by  a  fatal  illness.  In  giving  birth  to  Benjamin 
her  own  life  went  out  and  she  was  buried  by  the 
wayside.  Over  her  precious  remains  Jacob 
erected  a  pillar,  and  from  that  day  until  the  pres¬ 
ent  time  the  spot  where  Rachel  sleeps  has  never 
remained  without  some  mark  to  preserve  its 
identity.  It  was  a  well  known  place  in  the  days 
of  Moses,  and  of  Samuel  and  through  all  the  cen¬ 
turies  following  it  has  been  revered  and  carefully 
guarded  by  Hebrew,  Moslem  and  Christian. 
When  on  his  deathbed  in  Egypt,  many  years 
after  the  death  of  Rachel,  Jacob  made  mention  of 
this  sad  bereavement  in  words  of  touching 
tenderness: — “  And  as  for  me  when  I  came  from 
Padan,  Rachel  died  by  me  in  the  land  of  Canaan 
in  the  way,  when  there  was  but  a  little  way  to 
come  unto  Ephrath:  and  I  buried  her  there  in  the 
way  of  Ephrath;  the  same  is  Bethlehem.” 

“We  may  well  recall,”  says  a  recent  writer, 
“  how  the  prophet  represents  Rachel  sitting  weep¬ 
ing  for  her  children  as  the  long  train  of  captive 
exiles  passed  from  the  south  on  their  way  to  Baby¬ 
lon,  and  note  how  the  tomb  is  close  to  the  roadside : 
and  then  as  we  see  Bethlehem  not  a  mile  distant 
we  understand  how  aptly  the  evangelist  trans¬ 
fers  the  figure  to  the  Massacre  of  the  Innocents 
by  Herod.” 

Some  of  the  most  interesting  and  important 
events  in  the  providential  unfolding  of  the  plan 
of  Redemption  are  interwoven  with  the  story  of 
Bethlehem.  By  a  Divine  allotment  and  ordina- 


48  Memorable  Places 

tion  this  mountain  hamlet  of  Judah  became  the 
ancestral  abode  of  Boaz;  the  home  by  choice  and 
adoption  of  Ruth  the  Moabitess;  and  the  birth¬ 
place  of  David,  the  great-grandson  of  Boaz  and 
Ruth,  to  whom  is  given  by  common  consent,  and 
by  Divine  sanction,  the  first  place  on  the  list  of 
Israel’s  noblest  and  most  renowned  Kings. 

At  the  foot  of  the  terraced  slope  directly  east 
of  Bethlehem  there  is  an  open  valley  or  plain, 
known  as  the  fields  of  Bethlehem,  where  Boaz 
and  his  reapers  'labored,  and  where  Ruth  gleaned 
after  them  among  the  sheaves.  Beyond  this 
strip  of  cultivated  land,  in  which  each  inhabitant 
of  the  village  has  his  little  plot  of  ground,  in¬ 
dicated  as  in  the  olden  time  by  a  stone  landmark, 
lies  a  large  tract,  which  reaches  to  the  edge  of 
the  Wilderness.  This  from  time  immemorial  has 
been  the  common  pasturage  of  the  shepherds  of 
Bethlehem.  On  this  open  space,  and  at  times 
far  down  on  the  slopes  of  the  wilderness  below, 
David,  in  his  youthful  days,  kept  his  father’s 
flock. 

Somewhere  on  this  ancient  pasture  land,  and 
well  nigh  a  thousand  years  after  David  had  been 
gathered  to  his  fathers,  a  company  of  shepherds 
were  keeping  watch  over  their  flocks  by  night, 
“And,  lo,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  upon 
them,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round 
about  them;  and  they  were  sore  afraid.  And 
the  angel  said  unto  them,  Fear  not:  for  behold,  I 
bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall 
be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day 


49 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

in  the  city  of  David  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ 
the  Lord.  And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you; 
Ye  shall  find  the  babe  wrapped  in  swaddling 
clothes,  lying  in  a  manger.”  When  the  angel 
began  to  speak  to  this  little  company  on  that 
night  of  wonders  he  was  alone;  but  as  he  ceased 
there  was  a  rustle  in  the  air,  a  quivering  of 
swiftly  moving  wings,  a  glare  of  surpassing 
brightness,  “and,  suddenly,  there  was  with  the 
angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  praising 
God  and  saying,  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
and  on  earth  peace,  good-will  towards  men.” 

“  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  angels  were  gone 
away  from  them  into  heaven,  the  shepherds  said 
one  to  another,  Let  us  go  now  even  unto  Bethle¬ 
hem,  and  see  this  thing  which  is  now  come  to 
pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made  known  unto  us. 
And  they  came  with  haste  and  found  Mary,  and 
Joseph,  and  the  babe  lying  in  a  manger.” 

In  these  inspired  words,  so  artless  in  arrange¬ 
ment  and  so  sublime  in  signification  the  evangel¬ 
ist  tells  the  story  of  the  announcement  of  the 
Holy  Birth  of  the  Babe  in  Bethlehem.  There  are 
good  grounds  for  the  commonly  accepted  belief 
that  the  Church  of  the  Nativity  covers  the  site 
of  the  inn  or  lodging-place  in  which  this  amazing 
event  took  place.  More  than  five  hundred  years 
before  the  birth  of  Christ  the  prophet  Jeremiah 
makes  mention  of  the  “habitation”  or  caravan¬ 
sary  of  Chimham,  which  was  by  Bethlehem,  on 
the  way  to  Egypt  (Jer.  41 :  17).  This  was  prob¬ 
ably  a  portion  of  the  patrimony  of  David  which 


Memorable  Places 


5° 

was  given  to  Chimham  by  the  king,  at  whose 
table  he  was  an  honored  guest,  as  a  token  of 
gratitude  for  the  kindness  shown  to  him,  when 
an  exile  in  the  land  of  Gilead,  by  Barzillai,  his 
father  (2  Sam.  19:39,  40;  1  Kings  2:7).  It  is 
scarcely  possible  that  in  a  town  so  small  as  Beth¬ 
lehem  there  would  have  been  more  than  one 
khan  or  caravansary;  and  it  is  a  well  known 
fact  that  the  location  of  buildings  of  this  char¬ 
acter  has  rarely,  if  ever,  been  changed  in  Eastern 
countries.  . 

In  its  ordinary  form  the  khan  consists  of  a 
square  or  oblong  enclosure  or  court,  constructed 
of  rubble  or  hewn  stone,  with  chambers  of  one 
or  two  stories  built  inside  or  against  the  inner 
walls.  On  one  side — usually  the  side  opposite 
the  gate — of  this  enclosure,  there  are  stalls  or 
stables  in  which  the  animals  belonging  to  the 
caravans  or  travelling  parties  can  be  sheltered 
and  protected.  Sometimes  the  khan  is  located 
at  the  base  of  a  low  ridge  or  cliff,  which  serves 
as  a  wall  on  one  side,  and  in  such  cases  the  stalls 
or  stables  are  recesses  or  caves,  easily  made  by 
burrowing  into  the  face  of  the  soft,  limestone 
rock.  '‘Many  inns  or  khans,”  says  Dr.  Thom¬ 
son,  “have  caverns  of  greater  or  less  extent  be¬ 
low  them — that  is  on  the  ground  floor, — where 
cattle  and  flocks  are  sheltered,  and  stone  man¬ 
gers,  like  those  in  stables,  are  built  along  the 
walls.”  In  view  of  these  facts  there  is  nothing 
incredible,  in  itself,  in  the  tradition  which  indi¬ 
cates  a  grotto  in  the  crypt  of  the  Church  of  the 


J1 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

Nativity  as  the  place  where  our  Lord  was  born. 
The  stately  Basilica,  which  for  fifteen  hundred 
and  seventy-four  years  has  marked  this  hallowed 
spot,  was  built  by  Helena,  the  mother  of  Con¬ 
stantine.  It  is  unquestionably  the  oldest  monu¬ 
ment  of  Christian  architecture  in  the  world.  It 
escaped  destruction  when  all  other  houses  of 
Christian  worship  were  destroyed;  and  for  more 
than  fifteen  centuries  the  birth  of  Christ  has  been 
celebrated  at  Christmastide,  with  great  pomp 
and  ceremony,  within  its  walls.  It  is  a  signifi¬ 
cant  fact,  also,  that  the  grotto,  now  known  as 
the  “Chapel  of  the  Nativity,”  was  regarded  as 
the  birthplace  of  our  Lord  two  hundred  years  be¬ 
fore  the  Basilica  of  Helena  was  erected.  Justin 
Martyr,  who  was  born  about  the  beginning  of 
the  second  century — only  a  few  years  after  the 
death  of  the  apostle  John — describes  the  place  of 
Christ’s  birth  as  “a  certain  cave  close  to  the  vil¬ 
lage  of  Bethlehem  ”  (Dial.  ii.  7).  A  century  later 
Origen  asserts  that  the  cave  in  which  he  was 
born  and  the  manger  in  which  he  was  laid  were 
still  shown  in  Bethlehem.  Eusebius  and  Jerome 
confirm  this  testimony  and  the  latter  gave  the 
best  evidence  of  his  belief  in  the  genuineness  of 
the  site  by  taking  up  his  permanent  abode  in  a 
similar  grotto  close  beside  it.  Here  he  lived  and 
labored  for  the  greater  part  of  his  long  life, 
giving  to  the  Christian  world  as  the  result  of  his 
patient  labors,  in  this  lowly  abode,  the  Latin  or 
Vulgate  version  of  the  Scriptures. 

Colonel  Conder  of  the  Survey  party,  who  had 


52 


Memorable  Places 


exceptional  opportunities  for  the  investigation 
of  the  evidence  which  bears  upon  the  authentic¬ 
ity  of  this  site,  sums  up  the  testimony  in  its  favor 
as  follows: — “This  is  almost  the  only  site  which 
we  can  trace  earlier  than  the  time  of  Constantine, 
and  the  tradition  seems  to  me  to  be  credible, 
because,  throughout  this  part  of  Palestine,  there 
are  innumerable  instances  of  stables  cut  in  rock, 
resembling  the  Bethlehem  grotto.  Such  stables 
1  have  planned  and  measured  at  Tekoa,  Aziz,  and 
other  places  south  of  Bethlehem,  and  the  man¬ 
gers  existing  in  them  leave  no  doubt  as  to  their 
use  and  character.  The  credibility  of  this  tradi¬ 
tion  thus  appears  to  be  far  greater  than  that  at¬ 
taching  to  the  later  discoveries,  by  which  the  en¬ 
thusiastic  Helena  and  the  politic  Constantine 
settled  the  scenes  of  other  Christian  events;  and 
the  rude  grotto  with  its  rocky  manger,  may,  it 
seems  to  me,  be  accepted  even  by  the  most 
sceptical  modern  explorers.” 

The  plan  of  the  Church  of  the  Nativity  accords 
very  closely  with  the  description  given  by  Euse¬ 
bius  of  the  original  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul¬ 
chre  at  Jerusalem,  which  was  also  built  under 
the  direction  of  Constantine.  It  is  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  in  length  by  one  hundred  and 
ten  in  width.  The  interior  consists  of  a  central 
nave  thirty-four  feet  wide  and  two  aisles  on  each 
side  of  it  twenty-five  feet  in  width.  The  lateral 
aisles  are  separated  by  a  double  row  of  mono¬ 
lithic  columns  twenty  feet  high  and  two  and  a 
half  feet  in  diameter.  There  are  eleven  of  these 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  53 

massive  pillars  in  each  row.  The  floor  is  paved 
with  large  slabs  of  stone,  broken  in  places  and 
deeply  worn  by  the  tread  of  countless  worship¬ 
pers,  most  of  whom  have  tarried  but  a  few 
hours,  or  days  at  most,  within  its  sacred  pre¬ 
cincts.  The  roof  beams  of  the  Church  were 
originally  of  cedar  brought  from  Lebanon,  but 
during  the  reign  of  Edward  IV  of  England  these 
were  replaced  by  beams  of  English  oak.  One  of 
the  most  notable  events  within  the  walls  of  this 
ancient  sanctuary  was  the  coronation  of  Baldwin 
as  King  of  Jerusalem,  on  Christmas  Day  of  the 
year  1 101. 

The  Chapel  or  Grotto  of  the  Nativity  is  under 
the  choir  at  the  east  end  of  the  Church.  The 
floor  of  this  rock-hewn  chamber,  which  is 
reached  by  a  double  flight  of  steps,  is  paved 
with  marble.  Its  walls,  except  at  one  or  two 
places — where  the  native  rock  may  be  seen — are 
lined  with  the  same  material  and  decorated  with 
hangings  of  embroidery  in  silk  and  gold.  Be¬ 
neath  a  recess  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  chamber 
a  silver  star  let  into  the  marble  floor  glows  in  the 
light  of  sixteen  ever-burning  silver  lamps  which 
hang  above  it;  while  around  it  is  the  inscription 
in  Latin,  which  many  a  traveller  from  far-away 
lands  has  read  through  tear-dimmed  eyes, — “  Hie 
de  Virgine  Maria  Jesus  Christus  natus  est.” 
Whatever  we  may  think  of  the  locality  itself, 
that  silver  star  in  Bethlehem  commemorates  the 
greatest  event  in  the  long  history  of  time.  Here 
Love  became  incarnate,  that  Love  might  suffer 


54 


Memorable  Places 


and  redeem.  This  Incarnation  is  the  miracle  of 
miracles,  more  wonderful  even  than  the  miracle 
of  the  Resurrection.  It  is  now  and  ever  shall  be 
the  crowning  mystery  of  godliness  that  He,  the 
Word,  who  was  with  God  and  who  was  God; 
“whose  goings  forth  have  been  from  of  old, 
from  everlasting” — “was  made  flesh”  and  came 
to  dwell  among  us. 

“  For  Christ  is  born  of  Mary 
And  gathered  all  above 
While  mortals  slept,  the  angels  kept 
Their  watch  of  wond’ring  love. 

O  morning  stars  !  together 
Proclaim  the  Holy  Birth 
And  praises  sing  to  God  the  King 
And  peace  to  men  on  earth !  ” 


Ill 


NAZARETH, — THE  HOME  OF  JESUS 

The  place  where  our  Lord  was  “brought  up ” 
is  a  secluded  spot  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
highlands  of  Lower  Galilee.  It  nestles  in  a  moun¬ 
tain-rimmed  basin,  nine  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
above  the  Esdraelon  plain,  and  is  one  and  a  half 
miles  back  of  its  northern  border.  It  is  almost 
due  north  of  Jerusalem,  and  is  only  two  miles 
east  of  the  midway  point  between  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean  and  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  Through  all  the 
changes  of  the  centuries,  Nazareth  has  retained 
its  ancient  name,  and  the  genuiness  of  the  site 
itself  has  never  been  questioned. 

The  depression  in  which  Nazareth  and  its  out¬ 
lying  fields  and  gardens  are  embosomed  is  formed 
by  the  convergence  of  several  valleys,  and  the 
drainage  from  the  hills  which  environ  it  makes  it 
a  basin  of  more  than  ordinary  fertility.  The  rim 
of  the  circlet  of  rounded  hills, — fifteen  in  number 
— which  shut  it  in,  is  rocky  and  barren,  but  the 
inner  slopes  on  the  south  and  east  are  well  culti¬ 
vated.  Says  Canon  Tristram,  “  This  encircling 
cluster  of  hills  is  in  fact  the  melting  away  of  the 
hills  of  Galilee  as  they  are  lost  in  the  plain  of  Es¬ 
draelon.  Nazareth  clings  to  the  slope  of  the  last 
of  these  which  deserves  the  name  of  hill,  while 

55 


Memorable  Places 


56 

the  amphitheatre  in  front  is  formed  by  the 
smaller  ridges,  mere  gentle  swellings  enclosing 
the  shallow  basin,  which  forms  the  foreground 
in  their  sweep.  Here  cornfields  mingle  with 
vineyards  and  fig-trees,  and  the  occasional  date 
palm,  which  in  this  valley  reach  their  northern 
limit,  are  marked  features  in  the  home  land¬ 
scape." 

The  town,  as  the  modern  traveller  sees  it,  lies 
on  the  northwestern  side  of  the  basin,  which  is 
a  mile  or  more  in  length,  and  something  less  than 
a  half  mile  in  breadth.  It  is  now  rapidly  out¬ 
growing  its  former  limits  towards  the  south,  but 
formerly  it  occupied  a  higher  position  on  the  hill¬ 
side.  The  most  attractive  portion  of  the  con¬ 
fines  of  Nazareth  is  the  open  space  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  basin.  This  is  the  village  green, 
where  fields  and  gardens  separated  by  stone 
fences,  or  hedges  of  cactus,  twelve  or  fifteen  feet 
high,  overspread  the  levels,  and  olives  and  vines 
thickly  dot  the  higher  slopes.  At  this  point  the 
elevation  above  the  sea  level  is  1,140  feet.  The 
top  of  the  hill  on  the  western  side,  which  rises 
directly  above  the  town,  is  458  feet  higher. 

The  usual  way  of  approach  to  Nazareth  from 
the  south  is  by  a  well-beaten  road  which  leads 
obliquely  across  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  to  a  break 
in  the  range  of  the  Galilean  hills  at  the  mouth  of 
a  wady  which  comes  down  from  the  Nazareth 
basin.  From  this  point  a  steep  and  narrow  path¬ 
way,  which  horses  climb  with  difficulty,  leads 
up  to  the  southeastern  quarter  of  the  city.  At 


57 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

the  present  time  several  roads  lead  out  from  Naz¬ 
areth  to  adjacent  towns  along  the  great  lines  of 
travel.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the  basin  a  good 
road  leads  to  Tiberias  by  way  of  Mount  Tabor; 
to  the  northeast  there  is  a  road  to  Cana  (Kefr 
Kenna);  to  the  north  to  Seffurieh,  the  old  Roman 
capital  of  Galilee;  to  the  west  to  Haifa,  and  to 
the  southwest  by  way  of  Yafa  to  the  Esdraelon 
plain.  Some  of  these  roads  have  been  recently 
constructed  and  the  others  have  been  greatly  im¬ 
proved  within  the  past  twenty  years. 

The  first  view  of  Nazareth  from  the  ridge 
which  overlooks  it  on  the  southeast  is  singularly 
beautiful  and  impressive.  The  flat-roofed  houses 
are  larger  and  more  solidly  built  than  in  most  of 
the  cities  of  the  east,  and  the  white  limestone 
used  in  their  construction  shines  in  the  clear  sun¬ 
light  with  dazzling  brightness. 

The  narrow  streets,  which  climb  the  hill  in  suc¬ 
cessive  terraces;  the  outcropping  ledges  of  rock 
which  stand  out  above  the  town,  and,  in  some 
places  extend  like  a  great  wall  along  one  side  of 
the  streets;  the  natural  amphitheatre  with  its 
background  of  bare  hills;  the  fields  and  gardens, 
which  extend  far  down  the  valley;  and  the  larger 
buildings  surrounded  by  massive  stone  walls, 
belonging  to  the  various  sects  and  religious  orders 
of  Nazareth, — are  some  of  the  most  striking  fea¬ 
tures  of  this  distant  view.  A  nearer  look  dispels 
some  of  the  illusions  which  attach  to  this  first 
view,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  the  city  as  a 
whole  is  much  more  attractive  and  interesting  in 


Memorable  Places 


58 

its  appearance  and  surroundings  than  any  of  the 
Moslem  towns  of  Galilee  or  Samaria.  The  larg¬ 
est  and  most  imposing  structure  in  Nazareth  is 
the  Latin  Monastery.  The  Church  of  the  Annun¬ 
ciation,  the  Chapel  of  St.  Joseph,  the  so-called 
kitchen  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  other  convenient 
traditional  sites,  of  more  than  doubtful  authentic¬ 
ity  are  included  within  its  high  walls. 

Near  this  building  the  Latins  have  also  a  large 
hospice  and  orphanage,  a  nunnery  and  school  for 
girls.  At  the  other  end  of  the  town  the  Ortho¬ 
dox  Greeks  have  a  monastery,  a  church  dedicated 
to  the  Angel  Gabriel,  a  college  for  teachers,  a  school 
for  boys  and  girls,  and  a  hospice  for  the  use  of  pil¬ 
grims.  On  the  western  side  the  Maronites  have  a 
church,  and  east  of  it  the  United  Greeks  have  a 
house  of  worship  which  they  claim  occupies  the 
site  of  the  Synagogue  of  Nazareth.  -  Under  Prot¬ 
estant  auspices  and  control  there  are  an  English 
church  and  Mission,  a  Bible  depot,  a  Scotch  and  a 
German  hospital,  and  high  up  on  the  hill  above 
the  town  an  orphanage  for  girls.  The  new  Serai, 
or  residence  of  the  Moslem  Governor,  and  a 
mosque,  with  graceful  dome  and  minaret,  occupy 
a  considerable  space  north  of  the  Latin  Convent 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  town.  On  the  south 
side  there  is  a  large  threshing  floor — a  typical  rep¬ 
resentative  of  its  kind — which  is  frequently  used 
as  a  camping  place  for  tourists.  A  more  desirable 
spot  for  this  purpose,  however,  is  an  open  space 
among  the  orchards  of  figs  and  olives  in  the  vi¬ 
cinity  of  the  Greek  Church  of  the  Annunciation. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  59 

While  the  natural  landmarks  in  and  about  Naz¬ 
areth  remain  unchanged  there  is  but  little  in  the 
town  itself  which  we  can  confidently  associate 
with  our  Lord,  or  the  times,  in  which  He  lived. 
There  are  no  traces  of  gates  or  surrounding  walls, 
or  of  the  ruins  of  public  buildings  of  any  sort: 
and  there  is  not  a  house  standing  to-day  which 
can  be  identified  with  any  building  upon  which 
His  eyes  rested  when  He  was  here  among  men. 
The  place,  as  it  now  appears,  is  without  doubt 
the  successor  of  the  place  whose  name  it  still 
bears,  but  it  is  a  modern  city  in  everything  per¬ 
haps,  except  its  streets,  which  are  truly  Oriental 
in  their  narrowness,  their  untidy  appearance, 
their  apparently  aimless  windings,  and  in  the 
unique  fashion  of  their  paving. 

The  so-called  “  holy  places  ”  which  tradition 
has  localized  here  are  all  apocryphal,  and  have  no 
claim  to  veneration  or  regard.  The  intelligent 
visitor  does  not  come  to  Nazareth  to  see  holy 
places  but  a  holy  place.  It  is  a  place  forever 
memorable  and  sacred  not  because  of  one  or 
more  conspicuous  events,  but  because  it  was  the 
home  of  Jesus  for  nearly  thirty  years  of  His 
earthly  life.  Here  the  Holy  One  of  God  dwelt 
among  men,  and  every  foot  of  this  little  moun¬ 
tain-rimmed  basin  has  been  hallowed  by  His 
steps. 

Among  the  natural  features  of  the  place,  which 
we  have  every  reason  to  believe  have  come  down 
through  all  the  Christian  centuries  without  ap¬ 
preciable  change,  three  are  specially  noteworthy. 


6o 


Memorable  Places 


One  is  the  line  of  cliffs  which  rise  behind  the 
Maronite  church;  another  is  the  public  fountain, 
known  as  Mary’s  Well;  and  the  third  is  the 
rounded  crest  of  the  hill  upon  which  the  greater 
part  of  the  city  is  built. 

(1)  The  cliffs  in  the  position  indicated  are 
partially  hidden  by  rubbish  and  a  luxuriant  growth 
of  cactus  and  thorny  shrubs,  but  a  careful  ex¬ 
amination  has  disclosed  two  or  three  precipitous 
walls  of  rock  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  height. 
“One  of  them,”, says  Dr.  Manning,  “had  a  con¬ 
siderable  accumulation  of  debris  at  the  bottom, 
which,  if  cleared  away,  would  probably  give 
twenty  feet  more.”  This  wall  of  rock  overhang¬ 
ing  the  modern  town  suggested  to  Dean  Stanley 
the  possibility  that  “the  brow  of  the  hill  on 
which  the  city  was  built,”  where  the  Saviour’s 
life  was  threatened  by  those  who  had  listened  to 
Him  in  the  Synagogue  (Luke  4:29),  was  not  be¬ 
neath  the  town,  where  tradition  has  located  it, 
but  over  it  and  on  its  upper  edge,  if  not  included 
within  its  limits.  The  only  ruins  of  ancient 
buildings  which  have  been  found  are  on  the  plat¬ 
form  above  the  cliff,  and  Colonel  Conder  thinks 
it  possible  that  the  synagogue  may  have  stood 
upon  this  elevation. 

From  these  indications  it  has  been  inferred, 
also,  that  the  ancient  town  was  higher  up  the 
slope  than  the  houses  now  extend. 

(2)  The  Fountain  of  Nazareth  is  in  the  midst 
of  the  gardens  at  the  eastern  edge  of  the  town. 
Its  spring-head  is  in  the  crypt  of  the  Church  of 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  61 

the  Angel  Gabriel — the  Greek  Church  of  the  An¬ 
nunciation.  The  water  issues  from  the  rock  in  a 
full,  clear  stream  from  the  north  side  of  the 
crypt,  and  is  conducted  past  the  altar  to  a  well  or 
cistern  let  down  into  the  pavement,  from  which 
the  water  is  dipped  up  by  attendants  for  the  use 
of  the  Greek  pilgrims.  The  church  occupies  the 
site  of  an  older  structure  which  existed  in  the 
time  of  Arculph,  a.  d.  700.  A  conduit,  partly 
rock-hewn  and  partly  of  masonry,  which  bears 
the  marks  of  great  antiquity  conveys  the  water 
from  the  church  to  an  open  space  near  by, 
whence  it  issues  under  a  vaulted  arch  in  several 
streams  for  the  convenience  of  the  water  carriers. 

The  surplus  water,  which  frequently  overflows 
the  stone  tank  provided  for  it  and  forms  a  little 
pool  around  it,  is  used  to  irrigate  the  gardens. 
The  place  of  the  fountain  is  the  most  heartsome 
spot  in  or  about  the  city,  and  were  it  not  for  the 
fact  that  it  has  always  been  a  place  of  public  re¬ 
sort,  we  might  accept  the  site  selected  by  the 
Greek  inventors  of  sacred  places  as  the  most 
likely  one  for  the  scene  of  the  Annunciation. 
The  fountain  itself  has  been  from  time  imme- 
moiial  the  one  source  of  fresh  water  supply  for  the 
inhabitants  of  Nazareth.  It  is  the  centre  of  social 
life  where  the  shepherds  come  to  water  their 
flocks;  where  the  pilgrim  stops  to  quench  his 
thirst;  and  where  women  and  maidens  in  pic¬ 
turesque  attire  congregate  in  the  cool  of  the  day 
to  gossip  about  neighborhood  affairs,  and  to  fill 
their  earthern  pitchers,  as  they  have  done  for 


62 


Memorable  Places 


centuries; — as  they  did  without  doubt  in  Mary’s 
day.  “Often  and  often,”  says  Canon  Tristram, 
“  may  the  infant  Saviour  have  passed  to  this  spot 
with  His  mother,  as  the  boys  do  now,  following 
her. 

“The  path  under  the  olive-trees,  like  that  from 
Bethany  round  the  base  of  Olivet  and  like  Jacob's 
Well,  is  one  of  the  few  where  we  may  be  per¬ 
fectly  sure  we  are  treading  for  the  moment  in 
His  earthly  footsteps.” 

{})  The  crest  of  the  hill  which  rises  above  the 
city  on  its  western  side,  known  as  Jebel  es  Sikh, 
is  the  highest  point  in  the  circlet  of  mountains 
which  hide  the  vale  of  Nazareth  from  the  outside 
world.  The  outlook  from  its  rounded  summit, 
where  stands  the  Wely  of  Neby  Isma’l,  com¬ 
mands  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  distinctly 
outlined  panoramic  views  in  Palestine.  The 
mountains  of  Naphtali,  the  snowy  dome  of  Mt. 
Hermon,  the  deep  depression  of  "the  Jordan 
valley,  the  highlands  of  Bashan  and  Gilead, 
Tabor  and  Little  Hermon,  and  Gilboa,  the  great 
plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  the  historic  towns  that 
border  it,  the  high  mountains  of  Ephraim,  the 
long  ridge  of  Mt.  Carmel,  and  a  vast  stretch  of 
the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea, — are 
all  included  in  the  sweep  of  vision — covering 
thirty  miles  in  three  directions — from  the  summit 
of  this  commanding  eminence.  This  is  the  only 
place,  as  Dean  Stanley  intimates,  where  the  three 
sacred  mountains,  Tabor,  Hermon  and  Carmel 
are  conjoined  in  one  view.  Here  our  Lord  must 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  63 

often  have  come  to  hold  communion  with  the 
Father;  to  drink  in  the  fresh  breezes  from  the 
sea;  and  to  look  over  the  land  where  His  labors 
and  sufferings  were  to  be  undertaken  for  a  sinful 
race. 

Looking  northward  from  this  view-point  over 
the  billowy  waves  of  mountain  ridges  which 
stretch  onward  to  the  higher  ranges  of  upper 
Galilee  one  may  trace  along  the  lines  of  the  in¬ 
tervening  cross  valleys  and  plains  as  on  a  relief 
map  the  direction  of  many  an  ancient  thorough¬ 
fare  between  the  sea  coast  and  important  towns 
by  the  Lake  of  Galilee  or  beyond  it  into  the 
region  of  the  East.  One  of  these  great  thorough¬ 
fares,  and  the  nearest  to  Nazareth,  followed  a 
long,  cross  valley  from  Acre,  or  Ptolemais  as  it 
was  called  in  the  Roman  period,  to  Sepphoris 
and  Cana,  and  thence  to  the  plateau  above 
Tiberias,  where  diverging  lines  led  to  the  coast 
towns  of  the  Galilean  lake  and  to  Gilead  and  the 
Decapolis. 

This  was  one  of  the  chief  branches,  if  not  the 
trunk  line  itself,  of  the  famous  Via  Maris.  Its 
nearest  point  to  Nazareth  was  Sepphoris,  the 
Roman  capital  of  the  district  of  Galilee,  some 
four  or  five  miles  away.  Along  this  great  thor¬ 
oughfare  of  The  Nations,  which  Dr.  G.  A.  Smith 
describes  as  in  sight  of  the  village  boys  who 
climbed  to  the  northern  edge  of  their  hollow 
home,  “  legions  marched  and  princes  swept  with 
their  retinues,  and  all  sorts  of  travellers  from  all 
countries  went  to  and  fro.” 


Memorable  Places 


64 

From  the  foot  of  Mt.  Tabor,  six  miles  away, 
another  great  thoroughfare,  which  in  ancient 
times  diverged  from  the  Via  Maris  on  the  western 
coast  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  may  be  distinctly 
traced  in  its  oblique  course  across  the  Great  Plain 
to  the  pass  of  Megiddo  on  its  southern  border. 
This  was  the  Great  South  Road  from  Damascus 
to  Egypt. 

Equally  distinct  in  its  course,  as  seen  from 
this  outlook,  is  the  Caravan  Route  which 
traverses  the  length  of  the  plain  from  Bethshan 
to  Haifa  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Carmel.  This  was 
the  “Great  Road  of  the  East,”  over  which  un¬ 
numbered  hosts  have  travelled  year  by  year  and 
century  by  century  since  the  days  of  the  patri¬ 
archs.  “Up  it,”  says  Dr.  Smith,  “have  come 
through  all  ages  the  Midianites,  the  children  of 
the  east,  and  in  the  Roman  period  it  connected 
the  Asian  frontier  of  the  Empire  with  the  capi¬ 
tal.” 

It  is  evident  from  this  vision  of  the  hilltop  that 
the  district  in  which  our  Lord  passed  the  years 
of  His  childhood  and  youth  was  not  buried  in 
obscurity,  nor  remote  from  the  great  centres  of 
life  and  activity,  and  progressive  civilization.  It 
is  indeed  true  that  “the  Galilee  of  the  time  of 
Jesus  was  not  only  of  the  richest  fertility,  culti¬ 
vated  to  the  utmost,  and  thickly  covered  with 
populous  towns  and  villages,  but  the  centre  of 
every  known  industry,  and  the  busy  road  of  the 
world’s  commerce.” 

All  this,  and  more,  that  might  be  affirmed  with 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  65 

truth  of  the  district  as  a  whole,  is  not  inconsist¬ 
ent  with  the  fact  that  the  early  home  of  Jesus 
was  in  a  secluded  spot  above  the  busy  marts  of 
trade,  and  apart  from  the  moving  throng  on  the 
highways  which  traversed  the  plains. 

The  near  look  from  this  elevation  shows  us  a 
deep-lying  valley  among  the  hills  with  an  un¬ 
walled  town  clinging  to  its  lower  slopes,  “at¬ 
tractive  in  its  white  dress  with  edgings  of 
green,”  but  hidden  and  separated  by  all  its  im¬ 
mediate  surroundings.  It  is  literally  true  that 
when  one  stands  within  it  nothing  is  visible  ex¬ 
cept  the  hills  which  shut  it  in.  “No  great  road 
led  up  to  this  sunny  nook”  before  it  became 
famous  as  a  “  Holy  Place,”  and  the  long  proces¬ 
sions  of  trade,  war,  pleasure,  adventure  and 
pomp,  which  might  be  seen  afar  from  the  hilltop 
above  it,  passed  it  by.  The  nearest  point  to  any 
of  the  great  roads  to  which  reference  has  been 
made  was  about  five  miles,  and  the  routes  which 
led  out  to  them,  except,  perhaps,  the  roads  to 
Mt.  Tabor  and  Cana,  were  probably  nothing  more 
than  mountain  trails.  There  is  no  evidence,  at 
least,  that  the  two  steep  and  rugged  pathways 
that  led  down  to  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  were 
ever  in  better  condition  than  they  are  to¬ 
day. 

In  recent  years  such  eminent  authorities  as  Drs. 
Edersheim  and  Selah  Merrill  have  challenged  the 
oft-repeated  statements  that  Nazareth  was  a  se¬ 
cluded  and  obscure  village  in  the  period  of  the 
Roman  occupation,  but  the  evidence  upon  which 


66 


Memorable  Places 


their  contention  is  based  is  too  vague  and  un¬ 
satisfactory  to  affect  the  generally  accepted  belief, 
which  has  been  confirmed  by  the  results  of 
recent  research,  as  well  as  by  the  almost  unani¬ 
mous  consent  of  scores  of  able  writers  and  ex¬ 
plorers  who  have  preceded  them. 

In  his  great  work,  the  life  of  Christ,  Edersheim 
accepts  the  statement  of  Neubauer  that  Nazareth 
was  one  of  the  “ Priest  centres,”  where  those 
whose  duty  it  was  to  minister  in  course  at  the 
Temple  were  accustomed  to  gather,  in  order  that 
they  might  go  up  in  company  to  Jerusalem, 
while  those  who  were  not  appointed  for  this 
duty  remained  in  the  synagogue  to  pray.  On 
the  assumption  that  this  assertion  was  grounded 
upon  sufficient  evidence  the  inference  might  be 
drawn  that  the  home  of  Jesus  was  a  well-known 
ecclesiastical  centre,  and  that  there  was  “a  living 
connection  between  it  and  the  Temple,”  but  the 
statement  itself  rests  upon  such  doubtful  rabbin¬ 
ical  authority  that  it  is  practically  worthless  as  an 
item  of  proof.  In  the  same  connection  Dr.  Eder¬ 
sheim  claims  for  Nazareth  a  position  of  promi¬ 
nence  among  the  towns  of  Galilee  because  it 
was  on  the  line  of  the  Via  Maris,  the  great  thor¬ 
oughfare,  already  described,  from  Acre  to  Da¬ 
mascus  and  the  cities  of  the  east.  In  view  of  the 
facts  already  given,  with  respect  to  the  location 
and  topography  of  Nazareth  there  seems  to  be 
no  valid  evidence  upon  which  to  base  this  claim. 
It  does  not  accord  with  the  course  of  this  great 
highway  as  traced  by  Dr.  Smith  and  other  emi- 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  67 

nent  authorities  and  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that 
Roman  engineers  would  make  such  a  detour 
over  the  mountains  from  the  general  direction  of 
the  route  when  they  had  the  long  valley  before 
them  in  which  the  Roman  capital  of  Galilee  was 
situated.  Looking  at  the  place  from  his  own 
view-point  Colonel  Conder  of  the  Survey  party 
makes  the  assertion  that  “  no  highroad  of  trade 
passed  through  the  village,  and  the  water  of  a 
single  spring  supplied  the  place,  which  had  no 
special  advantages  of  soil  or  water  to  make  it  an 
important  centre.”  Elsewhere  he  says,  “  It  was, 
geographically,  a  place  of  little  note,  an  obscure, 
remote  hamlet  in  the  mountains,  where  the 
childhood  of  Jesus  must  have  passed  without 
contact  with  the  busier  world  of  trade  and  po¬ 
litical  strife.” 

Dr.  Merrill  rests  his  objection  to  this  view 
mainly  upon  the  proximity  of  Nazareth  to  the 
Roman  capital  and  other  important  towns:  and 
upon  the  fact  that  it  is  always  called  a  city 
(polis)  in  the  New  Testament.  With  respect  to 
the  first  point  there  is  no  contention.  Its  admis¬ 
sion,  as  we  have  seen,  is  not  inconsistent  with 
the  seclusion  of  a  mountain  town  whose  nearest 
point  on  any  great  highway  of  travel,  according 
to  the  statement  of  Dr.  Merrill,  was  measured  by 
an  hour  and  a  half  of  ordinary  travel.  In  regard 
to  the  second  point  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the 
same  word  (polis)  is  also  used  by  New  Testa¬ 
ment  writers  in  describing  Bethlehem  which  at 
no  time  in  its  history,  until  recent  events  have 


68 


Memorable  Places 


brought  it  into  prominence,  was  anything  but  a 
mountain  village. 

Nazareth  is  not  mentioned  among  the  Old 
Testament  towns,  and  Josephus,  who  speaks  of 
important  places  in  its  vicinity  makes  no  allusion 
to  it  in  any  of  his  works.  The  manner  in  which 
the  evangelists  refer  to  it,  the  implied  reproach 
associated  with  the  name  by  the  enemies  of 
Christ,  and  the  fact  that  no  trace  of  walls  or  gates 
or  ruins  of  public  buildings  have  been  found  in  it, 
point  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  in  the  time  of 
Christ  a  quiet  rural  town,  the  homestead  of 
shepherds,  craftsmen,  vine-dressers,  and  tillers 
of  the  soil.  It  is  its  “air  of  quiet,  peaceful  se¬ 
clusion/'  as  one  has  happily  expressed  it,  “that 
constitutes  its  chief  charm,  and  its  peculiar  adap¬ 
tation  to  the  early  history  of  our  Lord.” 

The  first  mention  of  Nazareth  by  Christian 
writers,  after  the  days  of  the  evangelists,  is  in 
the  Onomasticon,  where  Eusebius  describes  it 
as  a  village  not  far  from  Mount  Tabor.  It  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  visited,  as  a  holy  place, 
by  pilgrims  until  the  sixth  century.  In  the 
earlier  period  of  the  Crusades  it  was  under  the 
control  of  the  Latin  Christians,  but  at  a  later 
date  it  became  the  seat  of  a  Greek  Bishopric, 
and  since  that  time  the  Greek  influence  has  been 
dominant. 

In  1837  the  town  was  partly  destroyed  by  an 
earthquake.  Most  of  the  houses  have  been  re¬ 
built  since  that  date,  and  a  larger  number  of  new 
ones  have  been  added  in  recent  years,  giving  to 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  69 

the  place  a  decidedly  modem  look.  Within  the 
past  decade  especially  Nazareth  has  increased 
rapidly  in  wealth  and  numbers.  So  far  as  local 
influences  are  concerned  Dr.  Thomson  is  doubt¬ 
less  correct  when  he  asserts  that  the  growth  of 
Nazareth  is  mainly  owing  to  the  inroads  of  the 
Arabs  from  beyond  Jordan,  which  render  it  un¬ 
safe  to  reside  in  Beisan  and  on  the  plain  of  Es- 
draelon.  4 ‘  Many  places,”  he  says,  “have  been 
deserted,  and  the  inhabitants  have  retired  from 
the  plains  to  Jenin,  Nazareth  and  farther  west 
towards,  the  seaboard.  Should  a  strong  govern¬ 
ment  drive  the  Bedawin  over  the  Jordan,  and 
keep  them  there,  the  population  and  importance 
of  Nazareth  would  decline.” 

From  a  village  of  three  or  four  thousand  inhab¬ 
itants  it  has  now  become  the  chief  town  of  its 
district,  with  a  resident  population  of  about 
eleven  thousand,  of  whom  fully  four-fifths  are 
adherents  of  the  Christian  faith. 

While  for  the  most  part  they  are  very  imper¬ 
fect  representatives  of  the  religion  they  profess 
they  have  nevertheless  caught  something  of  its 
spirit  and  have  cast  their  influence  on  the  side  of 
enlightenment  and  a  more  advanced  civilization. 
An  international  telegraph  line,  a  post-office  and 
a  good  carriage  road  from  Haifa  connect  Nazareth 
with  the  outside  world;  and  from  every  quarter 
of  the  globe  tens  of  thousands  of  pilgrims  visit  it 
every  year. 

To  meet  the  growing  demand  for  transporta¬ 
tion  to  this  early  home  of  Jesus,  the  largest  pas- 


7o 


Memorable  Places 


senger  steamers  of  the  Mediterranean  service  now 
touch  regularly,  during  the  pilgrimage  season,  at 
the  port  of  Haifa  to  land  or  receive  passengers. 

It  is  a  notable  fact  also,  that  in  this  year  of 
Grace  (1902)  the  Celtic  of  the  White  Star  Line, — 
the  largest  and  finest  vessel  which  now  floats  the 
seas, — carried  eight  hundred  tourists  to  this  port, 
and  tarried  a  sufficient  time  to  allow  a  satisfac¬ 
tory  visit  to  this  and  other  sacred  places  among 
the  hills  of  Galilee. 

The  influences  which  are  now  contributing  to 
the  growth  of  this  mountain  city,  and  which  are 
drawing  to  it  the  best  and  most  devout  of  every 
land,  in  ever-increasing  numbers — are  almost 
wholly  traceable  to  its  connection  with  the  Holy 
Child  who  grew  up  here  with  winsome  manners 
and  irreproachable  life  from  infancy  to  mature 
manhood.  If  it  were  possible  to  disassociate  this 
place  from  the  silent  years  which  He  spent  within 
its  confines:  if  it  were  possible  to  eliminate  from 
the  fair  prospect,  which  the  traveller  from  far 
away  lands  now  looks  down  upon  from  the  rim 
of  this  green  basin,  all  the  churches  and  schools 
and  hospitals  and  orphanages  and  homes  which 
have  been  erected  here  “in  His  name” — this 
prosperous  town,  which,  like  Bethlehem,  the 
birthplace  of  our  Lord,  ranks  with  the  best  and 
most  attractive  cities  of  Palestine,  would  speedily 
lose  its  prestige  among  the  Galilean  towns  and 
revert  to  the  littleness  and  obscurity  which  char¬ 
acterized  it  before  it  became  the  abiding  place  of 
the  “Word  that  was  made  flesh”  and  dwelt 


7i 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

among  men.  Take  away  from  Nazareth  “the 
name  that  is  above  every  name,”  the  name  that 
was  coupled  with  it  on  the  cross,  and  all  the  high¬ 
ways  that  centre  in  it  from  every  side  would 
shrink  into  narrow  bridle  paths;  the  tide  of  travel 
which  sweeps  back  and  forth  through  its  streets 
year  by  year  would  cease,  and  the  great  vessels 
which  now  touch  at  its  port  would  pass  silently 
by. 

This  can  never  be,  however,  and  more  and 
more  Nazareth  will  be  dear  to  the  Christian  heart 
as  the  home  of  Mary,  “  highly  favored  and  blessed 
*  .among  women,”  and  the  place  of  the  hidings  of 
His  power,  who  for  our  sakes  made  Himself  of 
no  reputation,  and  took  upon  Him  the  form  of  a 
servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men. 

“  The  scene  of  his  earthly  life,”  says  Dr.  Thom¬ 
son,  “is  altogether  in  harmony  with  His  character. 
It  is  ‘Holy  Ground’;  and  whatever  may  or 
must  be  said  of  its  inhabitants,  ancient  or  modern, 
let  us  remember  that  the  greatest  good  God  ever 
bestowed  upon  our  world  did  ‘  come  out  of  Naz¬ 
areth.’  ” 


v 


1  ..  .  v . 


IV 


THE  WILDERNESS  OF  JUDEA 

In  the  time  of  our  Lord  the  Province  of  Judea 
included  the  territory  originally  allotted  to  the 
tribes  of  Judah,  Benjamin  and  Dan,  together  with 
the  greater  part  if  not  the  whole  of  the  heritage 
of  Ephraim.  This  rugged  and  singularly  diversi¬ 
fied  tract  divides  naturally  into  four  longitudinal 
sections.  The  scriptural  names,  characteristic  of 
these  divisions,  are: — “The  Plain”;  the  “  She- 
phelah,”  or  region  of  the  low  hills;  the  “Hill 
Country  ”;  and  the  “  Wilderness.” 

The  Wilderness  section  includes  the  whole  of 
the  eastern  slope,  or  declivity,  of  the  Judean 
mountains.  It  is  a  tract  more  than  fifty  miles  in 
length.  Its  average  width  is  nine  or  ten  miles. 
The  term  Jeshimon,  meaning  the  “Waste”  or 
“  Desolation,”  applies  more  properly  to  the  por¬ 
tion  which  borders  the  Dead  Sea,  but  the  same 
characteristic  features  prevail  all  along  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  mountains,  from  the  rock  fortress  of 
Masada  to  the  northern  limit  of  the  territory  of 
Benjamin.  It  is  not  a  desert  in  the  ordinary  ac¬ 
ceptation  of  the  term,  but  a  waste  or  wilderness 
— as  its  Old  and  New  Testament  names  imply — 
incapable  of  cultivation  except  in  a  few  favored 

spots.  From  time  immemorial  it  has  been  “  a 

72 


ips 


-  *Cr s«f« 


DRY  BED  OF  WATERFALL  IN  WADY  DABR. 
Wilderness  of  Judea. 


73 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

land  not  inhabited”;  a  land  given  over  to  wild 
beasts,  to  hermits  and  nomads,  and  to  outlaws  in 
hiding.  The  most  rugged  and  desolate  portion 
borders  the  Dead  Sea  where  a  wall  of  towering 
cliffs,  cleft  at  irregular  intervals  by  deep  ravines 
and  gorges,  rises  abruptly  to  heights  varying 
from  twelve  to  two  thousand  feet.  The  varia¬ 
tion  in  levels  from  the  edge  of  the  plateau  to  the 
surface  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  but  little  short  of  four 
thousand  feet.  From  the  summit  of  the  “hill 
country  ”  to  a  depth  of  two  thousand  feet  the  de¬ 
scent  may  be  characterized  as  a  rugged,  irregular 
slope.  From  the  foot  of  this  incline — a  level 
which  corresponds  with  the  plane  of  the  Medi¬ 
terranean  Sea — the  descent,  along  the  whole  line, 
is  steep  and  precipitous. 

The  almost  innumerable  wadies  and  ravines 
which  cut  their  way  through  this  district,  and 
break  up  its  surface  into  an  irregular  succession 
of  clefts  and  ridges  and  shelving  beds  of  earth 
and  rock,  are  shorter  and  more  direct  in  their 
downward  course  than  the  water  ways  on  the 
western  side  of  the  range.  Near  the  watershed 
they  are  shallow,  rock-strewn  grooves,  but  at 
lower  levels  they  converge  into  narrow  channels, 
which  deepen  as  they  descend  into  wild  gorges, 
some  of  which  might  readily  suggest  to  the 
poetic  fancy  of  a  David  or  a  Job  “the  valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death.”  These  torrent  beds  are 
conduits  for  the  rapid  transmission  of  the  floods 
which  come  with  the  bursting  of  the  clouds  in 
the  time  of  the  early  and  the  later  rains,  but  in 


74 


Memorable  Places 


* 


the  summer  season — except  in  the  lowest  beds 
of  the  deepest  ravines — they  are  as  dry  and 
barren  as  the  broken  and  crumpled  slopes  of  the 
ridges  that  lie  between  them. 

The  wildest  and  deepest  of  these  mountain  de¬ 
files  is  the  Wady  Kelt  which  enters  the  Jordan 
plain  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Jericho. 
It  is  formed  by  the  convergence  of  several  torrent 
beds,  one  of  which  is  the  Wady  Suweinet.  This 
line  of  natural  cleavage  was  the  route  of  Joshua's 
army  of  invasion,  ,the  objective  point  being  Ai  at 
the  head  of  the  valley.  In  the  Wady  Suweinet, 
a  few  miles  below  the  site  of  Ai,  is  the  celebrated 
pass  of  Michmash,  the  scene  of  Jonathan's  ex¬ 
ploit  in  the  days  when  the  hosts  of  the  Philis¬ 
tines  overran  this  portion  of  the  land,  and  held 
the  approaches  to  the  strongholds  of  Judah  and 
Benjamin.  At  this  point  the  valley  contracts  into 
a  narrow  gorge,  or  canon,  eight  hundred  feet 
deep,  with  a  sharp  projecting  rock  on  one  side, 
facing  a  similar  projection  on  the  other  side. 

Another  notable  defile  which  affords  a  continu¬ 
ous  passageway  to  the  summit  of  the  plateau  is 
the  Wady  en  Nar  down  which  the  Kidron  flows 
to  the  Dead  Sea.  In  its  lower  stretches  this 
“Valley  of  Fire,"  as  the  name  indicates,  is  shut 
in  by  towering  cliffs  hundreds  of  feet  in  height. 
Into  this  deep  and  awful  chasm,  opening  directly 
to  the  east,  the  unclouded  rays  of  the  summer's 
sun  shine  down,  through  the  morning  and  mid¬ 
day  hours,  with  dazzling  glare  and  almost  torrid 
heat. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  75 

This  is  the  valley  of  Ezekiel’s  vision  of  the 
healing  waters.  From  his  view-point  at  the 
outer  gate  of  the  Temple — “by  the  way  that 
looketh  eastward  ” — the  prophet  beheld  the  course 
of  the  mystic  river,  which  issued  from  a  hidden 
source  beneath  the  sanctuary  and  flowed  down 
to  the  lower  levels  of  the  desert  plain,  in  ever-in¬ 
creasing  depth  and  volume.  To  the  resident  of 
the  East,  where  the  introduction  of  a  stream  of 
living  water  brings  life,  beauty  and  abundance, 
causing  the  wilderness  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as 
the  rose,  no  figure  could  more  aptly  symbolize 
the  progress  and  transforming  power  of  the 
gospel  in  the  coming  days  of  the  long  promised 
Messiah. 

The  Greek  Convent  of  Mar  Saba ,  which  clings 
like  a  swallow’s  nest  to  the  face  of  a  towering 
cliff  on  one  side  of  the  Kidron  Valley,  is  the  only 
human  habitation  of  permanent  character  within 
the  limits  of  this  desert  region.  At  this  point — 
the  wildest  and  dreariest  in  the  heart  of  the 
Wilderness — the  precipitous  walls  of  the  valley 
rise  to  the  height  of  nearly  five  hundred  feet. 
The  chasm  between,  which  resembles  a  huge 
railroad  cutting,  is  six  hundred  feet  wide. 

Mar  Saba  is  one  of  the  most  unique  structures 
of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  was  probably  a  cave¬ 
dwelling  in  the  face  of  the  rock  at  first,  and 
afterwards,  as  the  necessity  for  enlargement  or 
defense  arose,  strongly  buttressed  terraces  were 
made  upon  which  buildings  of  various  kinds 
were  constructed  and  a  massive  enclosing  wall 


Memorable  Places 


76 

was  laboriously  built  up  from  the  base  of  the 
cliff  to  its  very  summit.  One  outlook  from  the 
summit  of  this  wall  is  said  to  be  590  feet  above 
the  bed  of  the  Kidron  Valley.  The  original 
structure  dates  from  the  fifth  century  and  it  has 
been  occupied  by  an  unbroken  succession  of 
monks  of  the  Greek  church — except  when  they 
were  driven  away  by  force — from  that  period 
until  now.  At  the  present  time  the  face  of  the 
cliff  is  almost  hidden  from  view  by  the  walls, 
towers,  buttresses,  terraces,  chambers,  balconies, 
chapels  and  shrines  which  together  make  up  this 
strange  labyrinth  of  “Kidron’s  storied  dell,  ^  in 
which  the  natural  and  the  artificial,  the  grotesque 
and  the  sacred  are  so  curiously  interblended. 

In  attestation  of  the  perils  to  which  the  anchor¬ 
ites  of  former  days  were  exposed,  the  monks  of 
Mar  Saba  show,  behind  a  grating  of  iron  bars,  a 
gruesome  collection  of  skulls  and  bones,  which 
are  said  to  represent  the  remains  of  14,000 
martyrs,  put  to  death  by  the  Persians  in  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  the  seventh  century. 

In  this  dreary  solitude,  something  more  than 
eleven  centuries  ago,  St.  Stephen,  the  Sabaite, 
wrote  the  touching  words  of  the  antiphonal 
hymn,  which  in  our  English  version  begins  with 
the  familiar  words: — 


u  Art  thou  weary,  art  thou  languid 
Art  thou  sore  distressed  ? 

Come  to  me,  saith  One,  and  coming 
Be  at  rest.” 


THE  GREEK  CONVENT  OF  MAR  SABA. 
Wilderness  of  Judea. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  77 

This  sweet  lyric,  translated  or  rather  para¬ 
phrased  by  Dr.  Neale,  is  as  evangelical  and  pure 
in  sentiment  and  tone  as  the  hymns  of  Toplady 
and  Charles  Wesley.  Like  the  melodious  chimes 
which  peal  out  at  eventide  from  the  old  belfry  of 
Mar  Saba,  this  hymn  of  the  desert,  and  the  dark 
ages,  has  gladdened  the  heart  of  many  a  pilgrim 
on  the  wilderness  journey  to  the  better  land, 
who,  “  weary  and  languid,”  has  been  ready  to 
faint  or  give  way  to  despair. 

South  of  the  valley  of  the  Kidron  there  are 
possibly  a  score  or  more  of  deep  gorges  in  the 
mountain  wall  which  borders  the  Dead  Sea,  but 
they  do  not  afford  continuous  passageways,  like 
the  Wady  en  Nar  or  the  Wady  Kelt,  to  the  summit 
of  the  plateau.  A  noteworthy  cleft  of  this  group 
is  the  pass  which  leads  down  to  Engedi  from  the 
cliff  of  Ziz,  by  which  the  hosts  of  Moab  and 
Ammon  ascended  from  the  Dead  Sea  to  the 
wilderness  of  Tekoa  (2  Chron.  20:  16-20).  Ap¬ 
proaching  by  the  same  route  the  invading  army 
from  the  East,  at  an  earlier  date,  came  to  Engedi, 
where  they  smote  the  Amorites  (Gen.  14:7). 
From  thence  to  the  northern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea 
the  only  practicable  route  would  be  by  the  ascent 
of  Ziz.  “This  pass  and  cliff,”  says  Professor 
Palmer,  “have  been  from  the  days  of  Chedor- 
laomer  and  Abraham,  the  one  ascent  by  which 
invaders  from  the  south  and  east  entered  the  hill 
country  of  Judea.  As  far  as  Engedi  they  could 
march  by  the  shore  without  any  obstacle;  north 
of  it  the  shore  line  is  impracticable,  even  for 


Memorable  Places 


78 

footmen,  and  there  are  no  paths  by  which  beasts 
could  be  led  up.  Had  they  taken  any  of  the 
openings  south  of  Engedi  this  must  have  entailed 
a  long  march  across  a  rough  and  almost  water¬ 
less  desert.” 

This  region  of  towering  cliffs,  yawning  cav¬ 
erns  and  awful  gorges  was  known  in  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  times  as  the  “Wilderness  of  Engedi.” 
Among  these  “rocks  of  the  wild  goats”  King 
Saul  hunted  for  David  and  his  men:  and  it  was 
in  one  of  the  caves  of  this  mountain  stronghold 
that  David  cut  off  the  skirt  of  Saul’s  robe,  while 
he  lay  helpless  before  him  in  unconscious  slum¬ 
ber. 

The  fountain  of  Engedi  (“  Ain  Jidy  ”)  bursts  out 
from  the  foot  of  a  huge  boulder  on  a  shelving 
terrace,  1,340  feet  below  the  cliffs  which  over¬ 
hang  it  and  500  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
Dead  Sea.  The  temperature  of  the  clear,  full 
stream  which  flows  from  this  source  is  83°  Fahr. ; 
and  its  course,  as  it  dashes  in  cascades  over  pro¬ 
jecting  rocks,  or  flows  swiftly  down  the  lower 
slopes  of  alluvium  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  is 
strikingly  indicated — in  contrast  with  the  barren¬ 
ness  and  desolation  around  it — by  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  rich,  tropical  vegetation.  “This 
oasis,”  says  Dr.  G.  A.  Smith,  “bursts  upon  the 
traveller  from  one  of  the  driest  and  most  poi¬ 
soned  regions  of  our  planet.  Either  he  has  rid¬ 
den  across  Jeshimon,  seven  hours  without  a 
water  spring,  three  with  hardly  a  bush,  when 
suddenly,  over  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  400  feet 


79 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

below  him,  he  sees  a  river  of  verdure  burst  from 
the  rock,  and  scatter  itself,  reeds,  bush,  trees  and 
grass,  down  other  300  feet  to  a  broad  mile  of 
gardens  by  the  beach  of  the  blue  sea;  or  he  has 
come  along  the  coast,  through  evil  sulphur 
smells,  with  the  bitter  sea  on  one  side,  the  cliffs 
of  the  desert  on  the  other,  and  a  fiery  sun  over¬ 
head,  when  round  a  corner  of  the  cliffs  he  sees 
the  same  broad  fan  of  verdure  open  and  slope 
before  him.  He  passes  up  it,  through  gardens 
of  cucumber  and  melon,  small  fields  of  wheat, 
and  a  scattered  orchard,  to  a  brake  of  reeds  and 
high  bushes  with  a  few  great  trees.  He  hears 
what,  perhaps,  he  has  not  heard  for  days — the 
rush  of  water;  and  then  through  the  bush  he 
sees  the  foam  of  a  little  waterspout,  six  feet  high 
and  almost  two  broad,  which  is  only  one  branch 
of  a  pure,  fresh  stream  that  breaks  from  some 
boulders  above  on  a  shelf  at  the  foot  of  the  preci¬ 
pices.  The  verdure  and  water,  so  strange  and 
sudden,  with  the  exhilaration  of  the  great  view 
across  the  sea,  produce  the  most  generous  im¬ 
pressions  of  this  oasis,  and  tempt  to  the  exag¬ 
geration  of  its  fertility.” 

While  we  agree  with  the  writer  of  this  singu¬ 
larly  realistic  description  as  to  the  tendency  to  ex¬ 
aggeration  amid  such  surroundings,  it  is  evident 
from  the  variety  and  unique  character  of  the 
vegetation  which  grows  up  amid  its  thickets  and 
brakes,  without  direction  or  care,  that  it  has  pos¬ 
sibilities  under  careful  cultivation  of  becoming 
once  more  a  far-renowned  garden  of  choice 


8o 


Memorable  Places 


fruits  and  fragrant  spices, — the  place  of  the 
palm-tree,  the  camphire,  and  the  vine — as  it  was 
in  the  days  of  Solomon,  and  probably  for  many 
centuries  before. 

Its  identification  with  Hazezon-tamar  (Gen. 
14:  7) — a  designation  older  than  the  time  of 
Abraham — is  clearly  indicated  in  2  Chron.  20:  2; 
where  it  is  referred  to  as  “Hazezon-tamar, 
which  is  Engedi.” 

Just  below  the  point  where  the  fountain  issues 
from  the  rock  there  are  remains  of  broken  walls, 
aqueducts  and  substantial  buildings,  but  the 
ancient  city  of  Engedi  was  on  the  small  delta  at 
the  foot  of  the  wady  which  conducts  the  water 
to  the  plain.  Between  these  points  there  was, 
in  former  times,  an  orderly  succession  of  ledges 
and  terraces  which  caught  the  first  rays  of  the 
rising  sun,  and  were  kept  green  and  bright  by 
the  warm  waters  of  the  ever-flowing  stream. 
Engedi  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  a  sheltered  spot 
of  unusual  possibilities,  with  a  climate  of  perpet¬ 
ual  summer. 

Among  the  thickets  of  shrubs,  canes  and  vines 
which  now  cover  this  neglected  spot,  Canon 
Tristram  found  many  gnarled  acacias,  the  seyal 
or  shittimwood  of  the  desert  ;  the  “osher,”  or 
apple  of  Sodom  (Calotropis  procera) ;  the  hyssop, 
clinging  to  the  moist  walls  of  the  cliff;  the  colo- 
cynth,  or  wild  gourd  of  2  Kings  4:40;  the  retam, 
or  broom,  identical  with  the  shrub  (rothem) 
under  which  Elijah  rested  in  the  wilderness  south 
of  Beer-sheba;  the  salvadora  persica,  a  tree  with 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  81 

pungent  seeds,  belonging  exclusively  to  tropical 
climes;  and  here  and  there  a  few  clusters  of  the 
fragrant  camphire — identical  with  the  “henna” 
of  oriental  commerce — which  was  one  of  the 
choice  products  of  this  desert  oasis  nearly  ^,000 
years  ago. 

While  there  is  no  other  region  in  Syria  where 
such  a  wide  expanse  of  rugged  surface  and 
dreary  waste  can  be  found,  the  Judean  wilder¬ 
ness  is  not  an  utter  desolation  “without  tree  or 
shrub  or  sign  of  vegetation,”  as  some  writers, 
who  have  seen  it  only  under  the  withering  blight 
of  the  summer’s  sun,  have  described  it.  Through¬ 
out  its  extent,  as  already  intimated,  there  are 
many  places  barren  and  wild,  beyond  descrip¬ 
tion,  where  it  is  literally  true  that  no  waters  mur¬ 
mur,  no  chirp  of  song-bird  is  heard,  and  no  leaf 
nor  blade  of  grass  stirs  in  the  breeze,  but  this  is 
not  true  of  the  district  as  a  whole. 

In  the  Scriptures  there  are  frequent  references 
to  the  “  pastures  of  the  wilderness .”  Like  all  the 
rest  of  Judea,  this  district  is  a  pasture  range  for 
sheep  and  goats,  but  it  is  only  available  for  this 
purpose,  save  in  a  few  exceptional  locations  in 
the  winter  and  early  portion  of  the  spring-time. 
At  this  season  the  slopes  are  thinly  covered  with 
grass,  and  spangled  with  flowers,  and  even 
amid  the  rugged  “  rocks  of  the  wild  goats,” 
which  border  the  Dead  Sea,  there  are  succulent 
herbs  and  clumps  of  thorny  shrubs  and  little 
basins  of  green  pasturage.  The  writer  has  seen 
a  large  flock  of  sheep  and  goats,  under  a  shep- 


82 


Memorable  Places 


herd’s  care,  among  the  wild  rocks  which  border 
the  Wady  en  Nar  between  Mar  Saba  and  the 
Dead  Sea,  and  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the 
Bedawin  tribes  which  claim  this  district  as  their 
peculiar  heritage,  find  sustenance  for  their  flocks, 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  over  the  entire 
range  of  the  wilderness  section. 

On  the  edge  of  the  dreary  waste  east  of  Beth- 
lehem,  and  sometimes  far  down  on  the  desert 
slopes  below,  the  youthful  David  kept  his  fa¬ 
ther’s  flock,  defending  them  from  the  attacks  of 
wild  beasts,  leading  them  into  safe  paths,  and 
choosing  out  for  them  the  best  of  the  pasturage 
and  the  safest  of  the  places  among  the  strongholds 
of  the  rocks,  for  shelter  and  rest.  Here  the  sheep 
are  absolutely  dependent  upon  the  shepherd’s 
care,  and  it  is  not  without  significance  that  our 
Lord  chose  this  locality  for  the  setting  of  the 
Parable  of  “The  Lost  Sheep.”  It  was  at  the 
folding  place  “in  the  wilderness ”  that  the  shep¬ 
herd  missed  the  straying  one  and  there  he  left 
the  ninety  and  nine  to  go  after  that  which  was 
lost,  until  he  found  it.  Nor  is  it  without  signif¬ 
icance  that  we  find  the  imagery  of  this  rugged 
region  in  the  “Shepherd  Psalm”  written  by 
David  the  King  in  commemoration  of  Jehovah’s 
goodness  and  never  failing  providential  care. 
Amid  the  scenes  with  which  he  was  familiar  as  a 
youth  we  get  our  best  and  truest  conception  of 
the  Shepherd  of  Israel.  Here, — as  Dr.  George 
Adams  Smith  has  happily  expressed  it— “  when 
you  meet  the  guardian  of  the  flock,  sleepless. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  83 

far-sighted,  weather-beaten,  armed,  leaning  on 
his  staff,  and  looking  out  over  his  scattered  sheep, 
every  one  of  them  on  his  heart,  you  understand 
why  the  shepherd  of  Judea  sprang  to  the  front  in 
his  people's  history;  why  they  gave  his  name  to 
their  king,  and  made  him  the  symbol  of  Provi¬ 
dence;  why  Christ  took  him  as  the  type  of  self- 
sacrifice.”  It  should  be  noted  in  this  connection 
that  the  contrast  between  the  appearance  of  the 
wilderness  in  the  dry  months  of  summer  and  the 
period  already  described  is  more  marked  than  in 
any  other  portion  of  the  land.  With  the  passing 
of  the  “  latter  rains”  the  verdure  of  the  hills  be¬ 
gins  to  fade  away  into  the  brown  tints  of  the 
desert,  and,  except  in  a  few  sheltered  locations, 
the  grasses,  the  leaves  and  the  flowers  are 
quickly  shrivelled  and  scorched  by  the  intense 
heat  of  the  unclouded  sun.  From  this  time  until 
the  beginning  of  the  time  of  the  “former  rains” 
the  tawny  hues  of  the  desert  are  the  prevailing 
colors,  and  the  soil,  which  a  little  while  before 
nourished  the  grasses  and  flowers,  seems  to  have 
turned  into  dust  and  ashes. 

The  associations  of  the  Wilderness  of  Judea 
are  interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  Israelites 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  their  national 
existence.  They  entered  its  northern  limits  under 
the  leadership  of  Joshua  to  begin  the  conquest  of 
the  land;  and  in  the  wildest  and  most  desolate 
portion  of  its  southern  border  a  little  remnant  of 
the  survivors  of  the  awful  destruction  at 
Jerusalem,  made  their  last  unavailing  stand 


84  Memorable  Places 

against  the  irresistible  might  of  the  legions  of 
Rome. 

The  solemn  grandeur  and  awe-inspiring  scenes 
of  this  rugged  region  had  their  influence  also  in 
moulding  the  life  and  literature  of  the  Hebrew 
people.  Its  borders  were  close  to  the  chief  cities 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin  and  its  unique  features 
were  familiar  to  unnumbered  multitudes,  who 
approached  the  Holy  City  from  the  north,  during 
the  great  festival  seasons,  by  way  of  the  Jordan 
valley. 

This  was  ‘‘the  land  not  inhabited, ”  yet 
always  in  view  from  the  terraces  of  the  Temple 
Hill,  into  which  the  scapegoat  was  led  by  the 
hand  of  a  fit  man,  after  the  iniquities  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  had  been  confessed  and  symbolically  laid 
upon  his  head. 

It  has  been  said  with  truth  that  “this  howling 
waste  came  within  reach  of  nearly  every  Jewish 
child,  and  was  always  in  the  face  of  the  Hebrew 
prophets.”  The  statement  will  apply  with  equal 
pertinency  to  the  sacred  poets,  of  whom  David, 
the  sweet  singer  of  Israel  is  a  conspicuous  ex¬ 
ample.  Here  John  the  Baptist  sought  seclusion 
while  preparing  for  his  mission  as  the  Forerun¬ 
ner  of  Messiah.  As  he  mused  amid  these  awful 
solitudes  the  fire  burned,  and  thence  he  went 
forth  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah  to  break 
the  long  silence  which  had  followed  the  warning 
of  Malachi  and  to  summon  the  whole  nation  to 
repentance  as  a  preparation  for  the  coming  of  the 
Holy  One. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  85 

To  the  same  predestined  place  our  Lord  was 
led  up  by  the  Spirit  after  His  baptism  by  John  in 
the  river  of  Jordan.  “And  He  was  there  in  the 
Wilderness,” — says  the  Evangelist  Mark, — “forty 
days,  tempted  of  Satan;  and  was  with  the  wild 
beasts;  and  the  angels  ministered  unto  Him.” 
This  event,  so  wonderful  in  itself  and  so  amazing 
in  its  significance  and  results,  has  made  this  old- 
time  refuge  of  outlaws  and  wild  beasts  to  be  a 
hallowed  place  for  all  time. 


V 


SHECHEM  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS 

The  most  conspicuous  elevations  along  the  line 
of  the  Patriarchal  Highway  from  Judea  to  Galilee 
are  the  twin  mountains,  Ebal  and  Gerizim.  The 
rugged  summits  of  these  celebrated  mountains 
rise  side  by  side  on  the  western  edge  of  the 
broad  upland  plain  of  Mukhna,  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  rich  heritage  of  the  children  of  Joseph. 

As  seen  from  the  south  or  east  they  appear  to 
be  conical  peaks,  but  in  reality  they  are  parallel 
ridges,  running  nearly  east  and  west  and  termi¬ 
nating  abruptly  in  rounded  masses  on  the  border 
of  the  plain.  The  distance  between  the  bases 
of  Ebal  and  Gerizim  at  this  point  is  scarcely  more 
than  500  yards.  The  long,  narrow  valley  be¬ 
tween  the  mountains  has  been  known  from  time 
immemorial  as  the  vale  of  Shechem.  It  enters 
the  plain  of  Mukhna  almost  at  right  angles  to  its 
general  direction  and  about  one-third  of  the 
length  from  its  northern  end. 

Nablus,  the  modern  representative  of  the  an¬ 
cient  city  of  Shechem,  nestles  amid  a  dark  mass 
of  luxuriant  vegetation  between  the  mountain 
ridges  in  the  upper  portion  of  the  valley  of  She¬ 
chem.  It  is  out  of  sight  of  the  plain  and  nearly 

two  miles  distant  from  it.  Shechem  is  almost 

86 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  87 

midway  between  Dan  and  Beersheba,  and  may 
be  regarded  as  the  central  city  of  the  middle 
section  of  Palestine.  It  is  thirty  miles  from 
Jerusalem;  thirty  miles  from  Cesarea;  thirty- 
three  miles  from  Bethshan;  eighteen  from  Jenin, 
and  about  sixteen  from  the  nearest  ford  of 
the  Jordan.  The  city  overspreads  a  narrow 
watershed,  which  parts  the  rivulets,  flowing 
from  the  bases  of  the  mountains  on  either 
hand  to  east  and  west.  At  one  point  the 
streams,  which  flow  from  gushing  fountains 
within  the  walls,  run  from  the  east  gate  to  the 
Jordan.  At  another  point  a  little  farther  to  the 
west,  they  may  be  seen  gliding  swiftly  in  the 
opposite  direction  towards  the  plain  of  Sharon 
and  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  The  inhabitants  of 
Nablus  boast  of  eighty  springs  of  water  within 
and  around  the  city.  It  is  probable  that  this 
number  may  be  reduced  by  at  least  one-half,  but 
there  are  few  places  to  which  the  description, 
“well  watered  everywhere,  even  as  the  garden 
of  the  Lord,”  would  more  aptly  apply.  There  is 
certainly  no  spot  in  Central  Palestine  which  rivals 
this  narrow  valley  in  rich  verdure,  luxuriant 
vegetation,  and  luscious  fruitage.  It  calls  forth 
the  admiration  of  travellers  from  every  clime,  and 
may  be  regarded  as  a  typical  representation  of 
the  natural  beauty  and  extraordinary  productive¬ 
ness  of  “the  good  land”  in  its  best  estate. 
“There  is  a  singularity  about  the  vale  of  She- 
chem,”  says  Van  de  Velde,  “and  that  is  the 
peculiar  coloring  which  objects  assume  in  it. 


88 


Memorable  Places 


You  know  that  wherever  there  is  water  the  air 
becomes  charged  with  watery  particles,  and  that 
distant  objects  beheld  through  that  medium  seem 
to  be  enveloped  in  a  pale  blue  or  gray  mist.  It 
is  precisely  those  atmospheric  tints  that  we  miss 
so  much  in  Palestine.  But  in  the  vale  of  She- 
chem  it  is  otherwise,  at  least  in  the  morning  and 
evening.  Here  the  exhalations  remain  hovering 
among  the  branches  and  leaves  of  the  olive-trees, 
and  hence  that  lovely  bluish  haze.  The  valley  is 
far  from  broad,  not  exceeding  in  some  places  a 
few  hundred  feet.  This  you  find  generally  en¬ 
closed  on  all  sides;  here  likewise  the  vapors  are 
condensed.  And  so  you  advance  under  the  shade 
of  the  foliage,  along  the  living  waters,  and 
charmed  by  the  melody  of  a  host  of  singing 
birds — for  they,  too,  know  where  to  find  the 
best  quarters — while  the  perspective  fades  away, 
and  is  lost  in  the  damp,  vapory  atmosphere." 

Shechem  has  the  singular  honor  of  being  the 
oldest  of  all  the  sacred  places  in  the  Promised 
Land.  (To  this  “place  of  Sichem"  Abram  came, 
with  his  flocks  and  herds,  about  forty  centuries 
ago.  It  is  probable  that  he  crossed  the  Damieh 
ford  of  the  Jordan  near  the  mouth  of  the  Jabbok, 
and  thence  followed  the  course  of  the  Wady 
Farah  to  his  camping  ground  by  the  oak  of 
Moreh,  in  front  of  the  city./  Here  he  built  an 
altar  unto  Jehovah,  “who  appeared  unto  him." 
Hitherto  he  had  been  seeking  a  land  which  the 
Lord  had  promised  to  show  unto  him,  but  now 
as  he  stood  by  this  altar  the  promise  was  definitely 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  89 

made:  “Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this  land.” 
Some  two  hundred  years  later  his  grandson, 
Jacob,  came  from  Padan  Aram,  apparently  over 
the  same  route  from  the  highlands  of  Gilead,  and 
pitched  his  tents  on  the  broad  plain  in  front  of 
Shechem.  With  a  view  to  a  longer  sojourn  than 
that  of  Abram,  and  doubtless  for  the  purpose  of 
dwelling  apart  from  the  people  of  the  land,  Jacob 
purchased  a  portion  of  the  ground  which  com¬ 
mands  the  entrance  to  the  vale  of  Shechem,  and 
here  he  pitched  his  tents  and  erected  his  altar. 

During  this  sojourn  the  patriarch  dug  the  well, 
which  still  bears  his  name,  and  which  has  marked 
this  site  through  all  succeeding  generations.  The 
place  of  the  oak  (or  terebinth)  which  sheltered 
Abram  has  been  identified  with  Belata,  a  little 
village  a  short  distance  due  west  of  Jacob’s 
Well.  Under  this  oak,  which  was  by  Shechem, 
Jacob  hid  the  strange  gods,  which  some  of  the 
members  of  his  household  had  brought  with 
them  from  the  other  side  of  the  Euphrates,  before 
he  renewed  his  covenant  with  Jehovah  at  Bethel. 
In  this  field  Joseph  wandered  in  search  of  his 
brethren,  who  had  meanwhile  removed  to 
Dothan;  and  here,  centuries  after  this  event,  he 
was  buried  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled 
thousands  of  Israel. 

After  the  conquest  by  Divine  direction  this 
“parcel  of  ground”  became  the  inheritance  of 
the  children  of  Joseph.  The  traditional  site  of 
the  burial-place  of  Joseph  is  on  a  slight  elevation 
about  four  hundred  yards  north  of  Jacob’s  Well. 


9° 


Memorable  Places 


It  is  almost  in  the  middle  of  the  mouth  of  the 
valley  of  Shechem.  The  location  accords  with 
the  Biblical  narrative,  and  for  many  centuries  it 
has  been  held  in  reverence  by  Jews,  Samaritans, 
Moslems  and  Christians.  At  the  base  of  Mount 
Ebal,  a  little  farther  to  the  north,  is  the  modern 
village  of  Askar,  which  has  been  satisfactorily 
identified  with  Sychar.  It  occupies  the  site  of  an 
older  town.  Sychar  is  described  in  John’s  gospel 
as  “a  city  of  Samaria  near  to  the  parcel  of  ground 
that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son,  Joseph.” 

The  place  of  the  grand  national  assembly, 
where  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  were  gathered  after 
the  conquest,  to  hear  and  ratify  the  “book  of  the 
Law  of  God  which  Moses  had  written,”  was  in  the 
valley  of  Shechem  between  its  mouth,  at  Jacob’s 
Well,  and  the  eastern  limit  of  the  ancient  city. 
Next  to  the  giving  of  the  law  at  Sinai,  this  was 
the  most  sublime  spectacle  and  impressive  service 
in  the  history  of  the  covenant  people.  It  is  a 
noteworthy  fact  that  two  breaks,  or  lateral 
valleys,  directly  opposite  each  other,  have 
formed  natural  amphitheatres  on  either  slope  of 
the  mountains,  which  seem  to  have  been  pre¬ 
pared  for  such  an  occasion.  The  narrative  dis¬ 
tinctly  affirms  that  the  people  “stood  on  this  side 
and  that  of  the  ark;  half  of  them  in  front  of 
Mount  Gerizim,  and  half  of  them  over  against 
Mount  Ebal;  as  Moses  the  servant  of  the  Lord  had 
commanded.”  There  is  no  intimation  that  either 
the  readers  or  those  who  responded  were  on  the 
top  of  the  mountain. 


9i 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

The  objection  sometimes  urged  on  this  suppo¬ 
sition  has  no  support  in  the  story  of  this  im¬ 
pressive  service,  nor  in  the  topography  of  the 
site  where  it  took  place.  Says  Dr.  Thomson: — 
**  That  was  the  most  august  assembly  of  the 
kind  the  sun  ever  shone  upon;  and  I  never 
stand  in  that  narrow  plain,  with  Ebal  and  Geri- 
zim  rising  on  either  hand  to  the  sky,  without 
involuntarily  recalling  the  scene.  I  have  shouted 
to  hear  the  responsive  echo,  and  fancied  how  im¬ 
pressive  it  must  have  been  when  the  loud-voiced 
Levites  proclaimed  from  the  cliffs  of  Ebal,  ‘  Cursed 
be  the  man  that  maketh  any  graven  or  molten 
image,  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord.’  And  then 
the  tremendous  Amen!  tenfold  louder  from  the 
mighty  congregation,  rising  and  swelling,  and 
reechoing  from  Ebal  to  Gerizim  and  from  Geri- 
zim  to  Ebal.” 

In  this  valley  at  a  later  period,  Joshua  gathered 
all  the  tribes  of  Israel  to  listen  to  his  farewell 
charge,  and  here  in  the  most  solemn  manner  the 
people  renewed  their  covenant  with  Jehovah, 
engaging  to  serve  Him  only,  and  to  put  away  the 
strange  gods  which  were  among  them,  “And 
Joshua  wrote  these  words  in  the  book  of  the  law 
of  God,  and  took  a  great  stone,  and  set  it  up 
there  under  an  oak,  that  was  by  the  sanctuary  of 
the  Lord.”  This  stone  or  pillar  of  witness  was  the 
place  where  the  men  of  Shechem  afterwards  pro¬ 
claimed  the  usurper  Abimelech,  as  king.  There 
can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  the  oak  referred  to  in 
these  passages  was  the  famous  tree  which  had 


92 


Memorable  Places 


sheltered  Abraham  and  Jacob  centuries  before. 
On  Mount  Gerizim,  Jotham,  the  only  surviving 
son  of  the  warrior-judge,  Gideon,  uttered  in  the 
hearing  of  the  people  of  Shechem,  the  fable  of 
the  talking  trees.  This  quaint  homily,  the  first 
of  its  kind  recorded  in  history,  embodied  a 
scathing  rebuke  to  the  men  of  Shechem  for  their 
ingratitude  and  folly  in  choosing  the  murderer  of 
his  brethren  to  be  their  king;  and  a  presage  of 
the  calamity  as  well,  which  was  certain  to  over¬ 
take  them  in  the  end.  <*  It  is  pleasant,"  says  Dr. 
Thomson,  “to  see  around  us  from  this  stand¬ 
point,  and  blending  with  the  diversified  foliage  of 
the  valley  beyond,  the  olive,  the  fig,  the  vine,  and 
the  bramble,  apparently  as  capable  to-day  to 
assume  their  part  in  a  parable,  or  give  point 
to  a  rebuke,  as  they  were  in  the  time  of 
Jotham." 

At  Shechem,  after  the  death  of  Solomon,  there 
was  another  great  assembly  of  Israel  which  re¬ 
sulted  in  the  rejection  of  Rehoboam,  and  the 
crowning  of  Jeroboam,  another  usurper,  by  the 
representatives  of  the  ten  tribes.  Following  this 
act  Shechem  became  for  a  time  the  capital  of  the 
northern  kingdom.  Long  afterwards,  when  the 
ten  tribes  had  been  carried  away  into  captivity 
by  the  Assyrians,  Shechem  became  the  chief  seat, 
and  sacred  city,  of  the  Samaritans.  With  a  view 
to  rival  and  if  possible  supplant  the  worship  of  the 
Jews  at  Jerusalem,  the  sect  of  the  Samaritans, 
reinforced  by  some  noted  Jews,  who  had  been 
expelled  from  Jerusalem  for  unlawful  marriages, 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  93 

built  a  great  national  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim. 
This  temple,  erected  b.  c.  300,  was  destroyed  by 
the  Jews  about  130  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ.  Its  ruins  crowned  the  height  of  Gerizim 
when  Jesus  passed  this  way  into  Galilee,  and  to 
this  spot  the  woman  of  Samaria  pointed  when 
she  said:— ‘'Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this 
mountain;  and  ye  say  that  Jerusalem  is  the  place 
where  men  ought  to  worship.’'  Notwithstand¬ 
ing  the  destruction  of  their  temple,  the  Samaritans 
continued  to  worship  on  the  summit  of  Gerizim; 
and  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  they  have  observed  the 
Passover  on  this  mountain,  in  strict  accord  with 
the  Jewish  ritual,  in  almost  continuous  succession, 
year  by  year,  from  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
until  this  day.  This  is  the  only  place  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  where  this  sacred  festival  has  been 
celebrated  continuously  during  this  time  after  the 
manner  of  the  Jewish  ritual.  The  Samaritan  sect 
now  numbers  only  160  persons  all  told,  but  they 
still  have  a  synagogue  in  Shechem — the  repository 
of  the  sacred  roll  of  the  Pentateuch,  undoubtedly 
of  great  age: — and  the  pathway  up  to  the  summit 
of  the  mountain  deeply  worn  by  the  tread  of  their 
forefathers  of  many  generations  has  never  been 
effaced  nor  obscured.  With  them  as  with  us  the 
spot  of  greatest  interest  in  this  cluster  of  sacred 
places  is  the  site  of  Jacob’s  Well.  They  have 
never  lost  sight  of  it,  and  in  a  sense  have  been 
its  guardians  since  the  beginning  of  the  Christian 
era.  The  unbroken  traditions  of  the  Jews,  Mos¬ 
lems  and  Christians  accord  with  this  testimony. 


94 


Memorable  Places 


Since  the  fourth  century  its  site  has  been  marked, 
and  also  protected  from  the  sand  and  soil  which 
has  gathered  around  it,  by  a  small  church  or 
chapel.  The  present  structure  is  probably  a 
reconstruction  of  the  fourth  century  chapel,  or  it 
may  be  the  crypt  of  this  ancient  church.  In  any 
case  it  covers  the  same  ground  and  bears  silent 
testimony  to  the  reliability  of  this  identification. 
In  view  of  all  the  evidence  at  hand,  it  may  be 
confidently  asserted  that  no  spot  of  ground 
within  the  limits  of  the  Holy  Land  has  been  more 
certainly  identified  than  the  site  of  this  wayside 
well  at  the  entrance  of  the  vale  of  Shechem.  A 
few  years  ago  the  only  visible  opening  to  the 
well  was  a  hole,  partly  covered  by  a  great  stone, 
in  the  floor  of  the  crypt  or  subterranean  chapel. 
To  reach  this  opening  it  was  necessary  to  clamber 
down  into  this  chamber  some  eight  or  ten  feet, 
through  a  rift  in  its  vaulted  roof. 

To  Dr.  C.  A.  Barclay,  long  a  resident  mission¬ 
ary  in  Jerusalem,  the  credit  is  due  for  the  discov¬ 
ery  of  the  real  mouth  of  Jacob’s  Well.  While 
visiting  this  place  in  1881,  in  company  with  his 
wife,  he  noticed  a  dark  crack  in  the  stone  floor  a 
few  feet  from  the  opening  already  described. 
Upon  removing  some  of  the  stones  and  a  mass  of 
accumulated  rubbish,  he  was  able  to  trace  part  of 
a  curved  aperture  in  a  great  stone  beneath  him. 
Deeply  interested  in  this  discovery,  he  called 
some  workmen  to  his  aid  and,  after  removing  an 
immense  mass  of  blockage,  the  original  mouth  of 
the  well  was  cleared.  “  It  is  impossible,”  says 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  95 r 

Dr.  Barclay,  “  to  describe  our  feelings  as  we 
gazed  down  the  open  well,  and  sat  on  that  ledge 
on  which  doubtless  the  Saviour  rested,  and  felt 
with  our  fingers  the  grooves  in  the  stone  caused 
by  the  ropes  by  which  the  water  pots  were 
drawn  up.” 

The  associations  of  this  place  carry  us  far  back 
in  the  world’s  history  amid  pastoral  scenes  and 
patriarchal  customs,  but  the  event  which  the 
Apostle  John  so  graphically  describes,  transcends 
all  others  in  interest  and  importance.  Here  in 
the  very  beginning  of  His  public  ministry  Jesus 
revealed  Himself  to  a  perplexed  inquirer  as  the 
long  promised  Messiah,  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
By  this  hallowed  spot  to-day  we  may  see  all  the 
distinctive  features  of  the  landscape  on  which  His 
eyes  rested  nineteen  centuries  ago.  Here  are  the 
twin  mountains,  which  rise  as  of  old  abruptly  from 
the  great  plain ;  the  narrow  vale  of  Shechem  which 
lies  between;  the  wide  expanse  of  the  vast  grain 
field  which  stretches  far  away  to  north  and  south; 
the  sites  of  Salim,  Sychar  and  Shechem  within 
easy  reach;  the  place  of  worship  on  the  summit 
of  the  sacred  mountain  of  the  Samaritans;  the 
dusty  road  on  which  the  Redeemer  travelled, 
skirting  the  base  of  this  mountain;  and,  stranger 
than  all,  the  stone  curb — hidden  from  view  for 
well-nigh  fifteen  centuries,  and  now  brought  to 
the  light  of  day — on  which  for  a  few  moments 
Jesus  rested  His  weary  limbs  at  the  midday  hour. 
There  came  to  the  well  at  this  hour  a  woman  of 
Samaria.  In  the  incidents  which  follow  we  may 


96  Memorable  Places 

see  how  the  Good  Shepherd  sought  and  found, 
on  that  memorable  day,  a  lost  sheep  among  the 
mountains  of  Samaria. 


VI 


THE  PLAIN  OF  GENNESARET 

Between  Magdala — now  known  as  Mejdel — 
and  Khan  Minyeh  the  Mountains  of  Galilee  recede 
from  the  Lake,  in  an  almost  semicircular  sweep, 
leaving  a  beautiful,  crescent-shaped  plain.  Its 
extent  along  the  coast  is  three  and  a  quarter 
miles;  its  breadth  at  the  widest  part  is  one  and 
one-eight  miles.  The  cliffs  which  border  the 
plain  on  the  south  extend  almost  to  the  margin  of 
the  lake.  On  the  north  it  is  wholly  cut  off  from 
the  lowland  strip  beyond  by  a  spur  or  promon¬ 
tory,  which  runs  down  to  the  water.  The  Arabs 
call  this  mountain-girdled  tract  El  Ghuweir,  the 
41  Little  Ghor.”  Its  identity  with  the  “  Land  of 
Gennesareth  ”  (Matt.  14:  34;  Mark  6:  53)  is  un¬ 
questioned.  The  limits  correspond  closely  with 
the  measurements  given  by  Josephus  and  in  the 
wild  tangle  of  tropical  undergrowth,  grasses  and 
vines,  which  now  covers  its  desolation  one  may 
readily  see  the  proofs  of  the  extraordinary  fertil¬ 
ity,  which  once  made  it  the  garden  spot  of 
Northern  Palestine. 

The  shore-line  of  the  Gennesaret  plain  is 
slightly  embayed  and  the  beach,  which  slopes 
gradually  to  the  water's  edge,  is  thickly  strewn 
with  myriads  of  tiny,  pearly-white  shells.  At 

97 


Memorable  Places 


98 

some  points  this  silvery  strand  is  “a  texture  of 
shells  and  pebbles  so  minute  as  to  resemble  sand  ” ; 
at  others  cart  loads  of  delicately-formed  semi¬ 
transparent  shells  could  be  gathered  up.  On  the 
landward  side  of  this  beautiful  pathway  by  the 
sea,  an  almost  continuous  hedge  of  oleanders  and 
tropical  thorns  holds  back  a  confused  mass  of 
wild,  luxuriant  vegetation.  There  are  no  fences 
and  no  groups  of  trees  to  obstruct  the  vision  be¬ 
tween  the  limits  of  the  sea  and  the  mountains; 
and  at  several  points  of  view  the  whole  plain  and 
its  borderings  may  be  seen  at  a  glance.  Three 
deeply-cleft  wadies  or  ravines  break  through  the 
encircling  barrier  of  hills  on  the  western  side. 
These  are  known- as  The  Wadies  Hamam,  Rubu- 
diyeh  and  Amud.  From  each  of  these  the  drain¬ 
age  of  the  adjacent  highlands  is  carried,  in  peren¬ 
nial  streams,  across  the  plain  to  the  lake.  The 
traveller  going  northward  crosses  these  brooks 
from  the  mountains  at  almost  regular  intervals  of 
space  between  Magdala  and  Khan  Minyeh. 
Their  course  from  the  mouths  of  the  ravines 
whence  they  issue,  may  be  readily  traced  by  a 
rank  growth  of  willows,  oleanders  and  marsh 
mallows,  which  line  the  banks  and  ofttimes  con¬ 
ceal  the  streams  that  glide  beneath  them. 

The  Wady  Amud  opens  upon  this  lowland 
region  near  Khan  Minyeh.  It  is  a  long  narrow 
gorge  noted  for  its  wild  and  savage  grandeur. 
The  stream  which  it  carries  to  the  plain  takes  its 
rise  near  Jebel  Jermuk,  the  highest  peak  of  the 
mountains  of  Naphtali.  In  some  places  the  cliffs 


SEA  OF  GALILEE 


99 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

rise  precipitously  from  the  edge  of  the  stream  to 
the  height  of  nearly  1,000  feet.  The  upper 
portion  of  this  ravine  is  called  Wady  Leimon. 

The  brook  which  flows  from  the  Wady  er 
Rubudiyeh  through  the  centre  of  the  plain  is  the 
largest  of  the  mountain  streams  and  its  waters 
are  carried  by  means  of  artificial  canals  to  the 
north  and  south  for  purposes  of  irrigation. 

The  Wady  el  Hamam  opens  upon  the  plain  a 
short  distance  westward  of  the  site  of  Magdala. 
The  rugged  cliffs  which  border  it  on  either  side 
rise  perpendicularly  to  the  height  of  more  than 
1,000  feet.  A  labyrinth  of  caves,  with  connect¬ 
ing  passages  cut  into  the  face  of  the  rock  on  the 
south  side  of  the  ravine,  has  been  for  many  cen¬ 
turies  an  impregnable  stronghold  of  defense  to 
the  oppressed,  as  well  as  a  favorite  hiding-place 
for  outlaws  and  robber  bands.  The  higher  tier 
of  caves  can  only  be  reached  from  above  by 
means  of  ropes.  In  the  time  of  Herod  the  Great 
a  large  body  of  outlaws,  who  had  hitherto  defied 
the  authority  of  Rome,  were  besieged  in  this 
stronghold.  After  a  series  of  desperate  struggles 
they  were  at  length  destroyed  or  driven  out  by 
companies  of  soldiers  let  down  from  the  dizzy 
heights  above  in  great  chests  strongly  bound 
with  hoops  of  iron. 

These  storied  caves  became,  at  a  later  period, 
the  favorite  abodes  of  anchorites  and  hermits. 
At  the  present  time  myriads  of  wild  pigeons 
have  their  nesting  places  in  the  holes  and  caves 
of  these  walls  of  rock.  Hence  the  name:  Wady 


10G 


Memorable  Places 


el  Hamam,  the  Valley  of  Pigeons  or  Doves. 
Hattin,  the  traditional  mount  of  the  Beatitudes, 
is  a  conspicuous  landmark  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  valley,  and  its  twin  peaks  or  horns,  may  be 
distinctly  seen  through  the  open  mouth  of  the 
gorge  from  several  view-points  on  the  lake  and 
plain.  The  great  caravan  route  from  Esdraelon 
and  the  South  to  Damascus  follows  the  line  of 
the  old  Roman  road  through  Wady  Hamam  to 
Khan  Minyeh  and  thence  northward  over  the 
hills  of  Naphtali.  This  was  the  direct  road  from 
Cana  to  Capernaum  in  the  Saviour’s  day,  and  He 
must  have  often  journeyed  over  it  during  the 
period  of  the  Galilean  ministry. 

Between  the  Hamam  and  Rubudiyeh  valleys  a 
copious  fountain  known  as  Ain  Mudawarah 
bursts  forth  from  the  foot  of  the  hills  and  sends 
a  stream  of  clear,  refreshing  water  across  the 
plain  to  the  lake.  A  circular  basin  or  reservoir 
of  stone  ninety-six  feet  in  diameter  encloses  the 
spring.  “The  water,"  says  Dr.  Robinson,  “is 
perhaps  two  feet  deep,  beautifully  limpid  and 
sweet,  bubbling  up  and  flowing  out  rapidly  in  a 
large  stream  to  water  the  plain  below.  Numer¬ 
ous  small  fish  were  sporting  in  the  basin,  which 
is  so  thickly  surrounded  by  trees  and  brushwood 
that  a  stranger  would  be  apt  to  pass  by  without 
noticing  it."  Another  notable  fountain  (Ain  et 
Tin)  rises  at  the  southern  base  of  the  Khan  Min¬ 
yeh  cliff  and  runs  eastward  into  the  lake.  It  is 
too  near  the  level  of  the  lake  to  be  utilized  for 
the  irrigation  of  any  considerable  portion  of  the 


101 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

plain,  but  its  brief  course  seaward  is  marked  by 
luxuriant  pasture  beds  of  grass  and  clover.  Dr. 
Robinson  makes  special  mention  of  this  tract  of 
clover  around  the  fountain  and  along  the  shore, 
and  adds  that  it  had  a  freshness  and  verdure 
such  as  he  saw  nowhere  else  in  Palestine.  “It 
was  a  luxury  to  rest  in  it.”  “  These  pastures  of 
Minyeh,”  says  Burckhardt,  “are  proverbial  for 
their  richness.”  Near  the  shore  the  stream  from 
Ain  et  Tin  widens  out  into  a  marsh  “skirted 
with  oleanders  and  choked  with  wavy  tufts  of 
the  beautiful,  tall  papyrus  of  Egypt.” 

It  has  been  shown  conclusively,  as  the  result 
of  careful  explorations,  that  the  abundant  water 
supply,  which  now  runs  to  waste  from  the  great 
fountain  of  Tabighah,  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
north  of  Khan  Minyeh,  was  formerly  conveyed 
by  an  aqueduct  into  the  Gennesaret  plain.  An 
octagonal  reservoir  of  great  strength  surrounds 
this  spring-head,  which  is  notable  as  the  largest 
of  its  kind  in  Galilee.  The  water  was  formerly 
raised  within  this  basin,  by  means  of  mechanical 
contrivances,  about  twenty  feet  to  the  level  of 
the  aqueduct.  “After  leaving  the  reservoir,” 
says  Colonel  Wilson,  “  the  aqueduct  can  be 
traced  at  intervals,  following  the  contour  of  the 
ground  to  the  point  where  it  crossed  the  bed  of 
two  water-courses  on  arches,  of  which  the  piers 
may  still  be  seen;  it  then  turns  down  towards 
the  lake,  and  runs  along  the  hillside  on  the  top  of 
a  massive  retaining  wall,  of  which  fifty  or  sixty 
yards  remain,  and  lastly  passes  round  the  Khan 


102 


Memorable  Places 


Minyeh  cliff  by  a  remarkable  excavation  in  the 
solid  rock,  which  has  been  noticed  by  all  travel¬ 
lers.  The  elevation  of  the  aqueduct  at  this  point 
is  sufficient  to  have  enabled  the  water  brought 
by  it  to  irrigate  the  whole  plain,  and  although 
we  could  only  trace  it  for  a  few  yards  inland,  it 
was  not  improbably  carried  right  round  the  head 
of  the  plain:  the  same  causes  which  have  almost 
obliterated  it  in  the  small  plain  of  Tabighah 
would  fully  account  for  its  disappearance  in 
Gennesareth.,, 

In  the  light  of  this  direct  evidence,  confirmed 
by  the  researches  of  Kitchener  (now  Major  Gen¬ 
eral  Kitchener)  and  Dr.  Selah  Merrill,  it  is  in  the 
highest  degree  probable  that  this  is  the  famous 
fountain  of  Capernaum,  mentioned  by  Josephus, 
which  poured  its  life-giving  streams  over  the 
beautiful  and  fertile  “land  of  Gennesar."  If  this 
be  so,  it  follows  that  the  gardens  and  fields 
which  it  enriched  and  beautified,  first  of  all,  were 
in  the  belt  that  immediately  surrounded  Caper¬ 
naum,  the  lakeside  home  of  Jesus.  In  the  period 
of  the  Romans,  Gennesaret  was  the  focus  of  life 
and  activity  of  one  of  the  most  thickly  settled 
provinces  of  Palestine.  Its  towns  and  villages 
were  thickly  clustered  on  plain  and  hillside  and 
every  foot  of  the  land  was  skillfully  cultivated. 
With  a  climate  mild  as  Egypt — fitly  described  as 
“a  harmonious  blending  of  the  seasons" — with 
a  loamy  soil  of  unusual  depth  and  richness,  and 
with  an  abundant  water  supply,  which  was  ex¬ 
tended  over  every  portion  of  its  surface,  it  is  no 


103 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

marvel  that  it  was  known  far  and  wide  as  the 
garden  spot  of  Palestine.  “  Along  the  lake  of 
Gennesar” — says  the  Jewish  historian — “ex¬ 
tends  the  district  of  like  name,  wondrous  in 
natural  beauty.  Such  is  the  fertility  of  the  soil 
that  it  rejects  no  plant,  and  so  genial  is  the 
climate  that  it  suits  every  variety;  the  walnut, 
which  delights  in  a  wintry  climate,  grows  here 
luxuriantly,  together  with  the  palm-tree  which 
is  nourished  by  heat,  and  near  to  those  are  figs 
and  olives  to  which  a  milder  atmosphere  has 
been  assigned.  One  might  style  this  an  am¬ 
bitious  effort  of  nature,  doing  violence  to  herself 
in  bringing  together  plants  of  discordant  habits, 
and  an  amiable  rivalry  of  the  seasons,  each  as  it 
were  asserting  its  right  to  the  soil;  for  it  not 
only  possesses  the  extraordinary  virtue  of  nour¬ 
ishing  fruits  of  opposite  climes,  but  also  contains 
a  continual  supply  of  them.  Thus  it  produces 
those  most  royal  of  all,  the  grape  and  the  fig, 
during  ten  months,  without  intermission,  while 
the  other  varieties  ripen  the  year  round;  for  be¬ 
sides  being  favored  by  the  genial  temperature  of 
the  air,  it  is  irrigated  by  a  highly  fertilizing 
spring,  called  Capharnaum  by  the  people  of  the 
country”  (Bell.  Jud.  in,  io,  8). 

The  contrast  between  this  glowing  description 
and  the  present  condition  of  the  Gennesaret  plain 
is  painfully  apparent.  Between  the  irregular 
mounds  on  its  northern  border,  which  cover  al¬ 
most  all  that  remains  of  the  once  prosperous  and 
highly  favored  city  of  Capernaum,  and  the  cluster 


104  Memorable  Places 

of  thirty  odd  mud  hovels,  which  represents  the 
town  of  Mary  Magdalene  on  its  southern  edge, 
there  is  not  a  single  permanent  human  habitation. 
Except  an  occasional  patch  of  a  few  rods  square 
cleared  of  its  dense  undergrowth  for  a  season’s 
crop,  by  the  fellaheen  or  a  migratory  band  of 
Bedouins,  the  entire  plain  has  reverted  to  its 
primitive  condition.  The  hand  of  the  diligent 
husbandman  no  longer  directs  the  growth  of  its 
meads  and  slopes  and  the  fruitful  garden  has  be¬ 
come  a  wilderness.  Its  almost  impenetrable 
thickets  of  undergrowth,  in  which  delicate  grasses 
and  myriads  of  richly-tinted  flowers  struggle 
with  brambles  and  thorns  are  suggestive  only  of 
an  Eden-run-wild.  Long  ago  have  the  walnut 
and  the  fig,  the  pomegranate  and  the  vine  been 
crowded  out  by  hardy  plants  of  meaner  growth; 
and  the  solitary  palm  which  marks  the  ruined  site 
of  Magdala  appears  to  be  the  only  survivor  of  all 
the  orchards  and  groves  which  were  once  its 
pride  and  glory. 

Amid  all  these  changes  and  desolations  the 
framework  and  distinguishing  characteristics  of 
this  natural  amphitheatre  yet  remain.  There  is 
no  other  place  on  earth  where  so  much  of  the  di- 
vinely-beautiful  life  of  Jesus  was  seen;  where  so 
many  of  His  mighty  works  were  done.  Here  we 
may  read  page  after  page  of  “the  Fifth  Gospel,” 
torn  indeed  and  soiled,  but  still  legible;  and  there 
is  not  an  incident  or  an  expression  in  the 
story  of  the  evangelists  that  does  not  har¬ 
monize  with  these  open  pages,  as  they  lie  in 


SITE  OF  MAGDALA— THE  HOME  OF  MARY 

MAGDALENE. 

The  curve  of  the  bay  can  best  be  seen  from  this  point. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  lcrf 

the  clear  sunlight  between  the  mountains  and 
the  sea. 

Most  beautifully  has  the  Master  woven  the  sev¬ 
eral  details  and  peculiarities  of  this  varied  land¬ 
scape  into  the  texture  of  the  series  of  Parables, 
which  belong  to  the  period  of  His  early  ministry. 
In  these  pictorial  representations  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Grace  we  have  the  imagery,  the  landscape-col¬ 
oring,  and  many  of  the  special  features  of  the 
Gennesaret  of  to-day.  A  case  in  point  is  the  fa¬ 
miliar  parable  of  the  sower.  Here,  as  of  old,  the 
sower  goes  forth  from  village  or  hamlet  near  by, 
to  sow.  As  he  scatters  the  seed  over  his  little 
patch  of  prepared  ground,  the  birds  of  the  air, 
which  have  their  nesting  places  in  the  holes  and 
caves  of  the  cliffs  above,  circle  about  his  head  and 
watch  eagerly  for  the  opportunity  to  catch  away 
the  uncovered  grains,  which  fall  upon  the  well- 
trodden  pathway  that  leads  through  or  alongside 
his  field.  In  the  midst  of  the  “  good  ground,” 
which  if  carefully  tilled  would  still  bring  forth 
sixty,  and,  in  choice  locations,  one  hundredfold, 
there  is  a  ledge  of  rock  covered  from  sight  by  the 
rich  soil,  but  it  fails  after  a  time  to  nourish  the 
plants  which  grow  upon  it,  because  it  has  “  no 
deepness  of  earth.”  At  another  point  there  is  a 
little  clump  of  encroaching  briars  and  thorns 
which  choke  the  springing  grain  and  render  it 
unfruitful. 

“The  image  of  corn-fields  generally,”  says 
Dean  Stanley,  “  must  have  been  always  present 
to  the  eye  of  the  multitudes  on  shore,  as  well  as 


106  Memorable  Places 

of  the  Master  and  disciples  in  the  boat.  ‘  The 
earth  bringing  forth  fruit  of  itself ' — ‘the  blade, 
the  ear,  the  full  corn  in  the  ear’ — ‘  the  reapers 
coming  with  their  sickles  for  the  harvest,’  could 
never  be  out  of  place  in  the  Plain  of  Gennesaret.” 
Other  illustrations  of  like  character,  drawn  from 
familiar  objects  about  Him  on  plain  or  lake 
or  mountainside,  have  their  counterparts  within 
this  limited  area.  Here  in  very  surety  “one 
great  memory  lingers,”  and  every  spot  is  hal¬ 
lowed  ground.  Here  where  the  desert  places  to 
which  He  went  betimes  for  communion  and 
prayer,  trench  so  closely  upon  the  fertile  fields; 
where  the  sunbeams  play  upon  the  surface  of  the 
clear  blue  waters  as  they  ripple  along  the  pearly 
beach;  where  every  natural  feature  is  pleasing  to 
the  eye  and  only  the  labor  and  skill  of  men  are 
needed  to  make  it  again  the  garden  of  the  Lord, 
was  the  favored  place,  we  may  well  believe, 
“where  Jesus  loved  so  much  to  be”;  and  where 
He  spent  the  busiest,  happiest  hours  of  His  earthly 
life.  We  can  hardly  be  wrong  in  saying  that  it 
was  to  this  place  of  hallowed  memories  also  that 
Jesus  came  to  meet  His  disciples  after  His  resur¬ 
rection. 


“  O  Saviour  gone  to  God’s  riglit  hand, 

But  the  same  Saviour  still ; 

Graved  on  Thy  heart  is  this  lovely  strand, 
And  every  fragrant  hill.” 


Vli 


THE  SEA  OF  GALILEE 

The  usual  approach  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  by 
the  old  roadway,  deeply  worn  by  the  tread  of 
many  generations,  which  leads  down  from  Naz¬ 
areth,  by  way  of  Cana,  to  Tiberias.  From  a  no¬ 
table  outlook  on  one  of  the  lower  levels  in  this 
descent,  the  traveller  gets  his  first  view  of  the 
lake  and  its  environs.  As  seen  under  a  cloudless 
sky,  and  in  the  fresh  spring-time,  from  this 
standpoint — nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  the 
water — the  picture  is  singularly  beautiful,  as  well 
as  deeply  impressive.  The  sweep  of  vision  is 
limited  to  the  northern  half  of  the  Sea,  but  it  in¬ 
cludes  almost  all  of  the  localities,  which  have 
been  hallowed  by  the  presence  and  ministry  of 
Jesus. 

From  the  heights  of  Safed,  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  water  level,  the  whole  of  the  moun¬ 
tain-rimmed  basin  of  Galilee  may  be  seen  at  a 
glance. 

In  the  Old  Testament  it  is  known  as  the  Sea  of 
Chinnereth  or  Chinneroth;  in  the  Gospels  it  is 
called  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
and  the  Sea  of  Tiberias.  In  John’s  gospel  only 
do  we  find  the  latter  name;  and  this  fact  has  its 

most  natural  explanation  on  the  assumption  that 

107 


1 08  Memorable  Places 

this  apostle  wrote  after  the  city  of  Tiberias  had 
risen  to  importance,  as  the  capital  of  Galilee. 

The  most  noteworthy  feature  of  this  inland  sea 
is  its  deep  depression.  It  lies  682  feet  below  the 
level  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  mountains 
which  gracefully  curve  around  it,  shutting  it  in  at 
every  point,  except  where  the  Jordan  makes  its 
entrance  and  exit,  vary  in  height  from  1,300  to 
2,000  feet.  On  the  eastern  side  the  mountains 
rise  abruptly  from  the  plain  which  borders  the 
lake,  to  the  level  of  the  Bashan  plateau;  and  the 
general  impression  is  that  of  a  bare  rugged  wall 
of  rock,  cleft  here  and  there  by  deeply-gashed 
torrent  beds.  In  these  are  occasional  patches  of 
green,  but  the  prevailing  colors  are  the  red  and 
brown  of  the  vast  masses  of  bare  basaltic 
rock. 

On  the  western  side  the  range  is  broken  into 
rounded  hills  and  grass-covered  slopes,  which  in 
some  places,  terminate  abruptly  as  they  approach 
the  margin  of  the  sea.  Between  the  base  of  the 
enclosing  hills  and  the  coast  line  there  is  an 
almost  continuous  belt  of  green  lowland,  varying 
in  width  from  a  ribbon-like  strip  to  a  generous 
expanse  of  one  or  two  miles.  “The  shore  line, 
for  the  most  part  regular,  is  broken  in  the  north 
into  a  series  of  little  bays  of  exquisite  beauty ; 
nowhere  more  beautiful  than  at  Gennesareth, 
where  the  beaches,  nearly  white  with  myriads 
of  minute  shells,  are  on  one  side  washed  by  the 
limpid  waters  of  the  lake,  and  on  the  other  shut 
in  by  a  fringe  of  oleanders,  “rich  in  May  with 


I 


NORTHERN  BASIN  OF  GENNESARET  FROM  HIGHLAND 

GALILEE. 

The  Horns  of  Hattin  appear  in  the  foreground  of  the  picture. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  109 

their  blossoms  red  and  bright”  (Our  Work  in 
Palestine,  p.  184). 

Over  the  rim  of  the  mountain  wall  northward 
the  prospect  is  closed  by  the  towering  heights  of 
Hermon.  From  every  outlook  south  of  Magdala 
the  cloudy  coronal,  and  snowy  mantle  of  this 
majestic  mountain  may  be  seen;  and  at  some 
points  it  seems  so  near  that  it  can  hardly  be  dis¬ 
tinguished  from  the  contour  of  the  mountain 
mass  which  overshadows  the  margin  of  the 
lake. 

In  outline  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  an  irregular  oval, 
the  larger  end  being  at  the  north.  Its  extreme 
length  is  twelve  and  a  quarter  miles.  Its  greatest 
width — from  Magdala  to  Khersa  (Gergesa) — is 
six  and  three-quarter  miles.  The  maximum 
depth,  as  ascertained  by  recent  measurements,  is 
one  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet.  The  water  is 
bright  and  clear,  and  is  almost  as  delicate  a  blue 
as  the  Bay  of  Naples.  In  its  ordinary  condition 
it  is  a  water-mirror  of  rare  beauty  and  reflective 
power;  and  the  play  of  the  lights  and  shadows 
on  its  surface  and  surrounding  hills,  amid  the 
ever-varying  atmospheric  changes,  from  sunrise 
to  sunset,  greatly  enhances  the  charm  of  its  nat¬ 
ural  features.  In  the  rich  warm  glow  of  the 
setting  sun,  which  seems  to  impart  to  this  lake- 
region  a  peculiar  glory,  the  beloved  disciple  must 
often  have  witnessed  a  counterpart  of  that  scene 
in  holy  vision,  which  he  describes  as  “a  sea  of 
glass  mingled  with  fire.” 

While  Galilee  is  usually  “a calm  reposing  sea,” 


no 


Memorable  Places 


it  is,  nevertheless,  subject  at  times  to  violent 
tempests  which  sweep  down  through  the  ravines 
from  the  heights  above,  with  scarcely  a  moment’s 
notice.  Says  Dr.  Thomson:  “Small  as  the  lake 
is,  and  placid  in  general,  as  a  molten  mirror,  1 
have  repeatedly  seen  it  quiver,  and  leap  and  boil 
like  a  caldron,  when  driven  by  fierce  winds  from 
the  eastern  mountains,  and  the  waves  ran  high — 
high  enough  to  fill  or  cover  the  ships,  as  Matthew 
has  it.”  Sir  Charles  Wilson  gives  a  very  interest¬ 
ing  account  of  a  sudden  storm,  which  he  watched 
from  the  ruins  of  Gamala  on  the  eastern  side  as 
it  swept  rapidly  across  a  portion  of  the  sea  and 
lifted  the  placid  waters  into  a  bright  sheet  of 
foam.  “The  effect,”  he  says,  “  of  half  the  lake 
in  perfect  rest,  while  the  other  half  was  in  wild 
confusion,  was  extremely  grand;  it  would  have 
fared  badly  with  any  light  craft  caught  in  mid¬ 
lake  by  the  storm;  and  we  could  not  help  think¬ 
ing  of  that  memorable  occasion  on  which  the 
storm  is  so  graphically  described  as  ‘coming 
down  ’  on  the  lake.” 

While  the  Sea  of  Galilee  abounds,  as  of  old,  in 
choice  varieties  of  fish,  the  fishing  industry,  once 
so  important,  is  well-nigh  extinct.  The  best 
fishing  grounds  are  still  at  the  northern  end,  near 
Capernaum  and  Tabighah,  where  the  fish  some¬ 
times  appear  in  shoals  in  countless  numbers. 
“The  lake  absolutely  swarms  with  fish,”  says 
Canon  Tristram,  “and  the  shoals  may  often  be 
seen  in  dark  masses,  which  as  their  top  fins 
appear  on  the  surface,  look  at  a  distance  as 


Ill 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

though  a  violent  shower  were  rippling  the  sur¬ 
face  for  an  extent  of  an  acre  or  more.”  At  the 
present  time  there  are  possibly  less  than  half  a 
dozen  rude  fishing  boats  on  the  lake,  but  in  the 
time  of  Christ  it  was  covered  with  vessels  large 
and  small  of  every  description.  Ship  building 
was  one  of  the  important  industries  at  Tarichsea, 
a  large  city  south  of  Tiberias;  and  here,  on  one 
occasion,  Josephus  collected  230  ships,  which  he 
manned  with  sailors,  to  attack  Tiberias  from  the 
lakeside. 

In  a  valuable  article  on  the  shipping  of  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  Dr.  Merrill  says:  “Josephus’  words, 
in  describing  different  vessels  on  the  Sea  of  Gali¬ 
lee,  are:  Naus,  ship;  ploion ,  vessel;  skapha,  a 
boat  smaller  than  a  vessel ;  schedia,  a  light  boat, 
sometimes  a  raft;  alias ,  fishing  boat.  Naus  is 
used  but  once  in  the  New  Testament,  and  that 
in  connection  with  Paul’s  shipwreck.  Skapha  is 
used,  but  only  of  the  boat  which  belonged  to  the 
ploion.  Ploion  is  the  word  which  the  evangelists 
invariably  use  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  except  in  a 
few  instances  where,  to  indicate  a  vessel  of 
smaller  size,  they  use  its  diminutive,  ploiarion. 
In  John  22:23,  ploiarion  is  rendered  “boat,”  but 
elsewhere,  as  in  Mark  3:9,  “little  ship.”  The 
Authorized  Version  always  renders  ploion  by 
“ship.”  In  this  they  are  more  consistent  than 
the  Revisers  have  been,  who  in  every  case  in  the 
gospels  (forty-seven  times)  render  it  by  “boat,” 
while  in  the  Acts  and  elsewhere  they  render  it 
by  “ship.”  They  can  present  no  reason  from 


112 


Memorable  Places 


grammar,  etymology,  or  textual  criticism,  to 
justify  them  in  rendering ploion  by  “ship "when 
the  passage  refers  to  Cesarea-on-the-Sea,  and  by 
“boat"  when  the  passage  refers  to  Tiberias  or 
Capernaum.  Such  passages  as  Matthew  14:29, 
“  Peter  went  down  out  of  the  ploion ,"  and  Mark 
6:51,  “Christ  went  up  into  the  ploion,  would 
seem  to  be  sufficient  evidence  that  something 
else  was  meant  than  what  English-speaking  peo¬ 
ple  ordinarily  mean  by  the  term  boat." 

This  argument,  so  convincingly  presented,  is 
in  keeping  with  the  fact  that  some  of  the  vessels, 
at  least,  in  which  Jesus  sailed  over  the  lake  were 
large  enough  to  carry  Himself  and  His  disciples — 
the  inference  being  that  all  of  the  apostolic  band 
were  with  Him. 

The  Jordan  descends  from  Lake  Huleh  to  the 
Galilean  basin,  a  distance  of  eleven  miles,  through 
a  narrow  gorge  in  a  succession  of  rapids  or  cas¬ 
cades.  For  the  greater  part  of  this  distance  the 
descent  is  more  than  ninety  feet  to  the  mile. 
From  the  gateway  of  the  hills  the  river  emerges, 
a  foaming,  swirling  torrent,  crosses  the  belt  of 
the  coast  plain,  some  two  miles  in  breadth,  and 
entering  the  sea  passes  through  it,  as  does  the 
Rhine  through  the  Sea  of  Constance.  For  a  con¬ 
siderable  distance  its  course  may  be  traced  by  its 
turbid  waters,  but  at  length  it  is  lost  to  sight  and 
hushed  to  rest  in  the  bosom  of  the  lake;  and  ere 
it  passes  out  on  its  downward  plunge  to  the 
Dead  Sea,  it  is  clear  as  the  waves  which  ripple 
along  the  beach  of  the  Gennesaret  plain. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  113 

The  topography  and  characteristic  features  of 
the  coasts  of  Galilee  can  be  studied  to  best  ad¬ 
vantage  by  making  the  circuit  of  the  lake.  The 
widest  space  between  the  surrounding  hills  and 
the  water  is  at  or  near  the  inlet  of  the  Jordan. 
The  greater  portion  of  this  tract  lies  on  the  east¬ 
ern  side  of  the  river,  and  is  known  as  the  Plain 
of  Batihah,  or  Butaiha.  It  is  somewhat  larger 
than  the  Gennesaret  plain,  and  is  regarded  as  its 
counterpart  in  outline,  general  appearance  and 
fertility.  Near  the  lake  there  are  numerous  bogs 
and  swampy  patches,  but  the  higher  ground  is  a 
meadow-like  tract,  which  yields  a  rich  harvest 
wherever  it  is  carefully  cultivated.  This  was  in 
the  territory  ruled  by  Philip  the  Tetrarch,  and 
here  he  rebuilt  and  beautified  the  village  of  Beth- 
saida,  raising  it  to  the  dignity  of  a  city  and 
naming  it  Julias,  in  honor  of  the  daughter  of  the 
reigning  Emperor.  The  probable  scene  of  the 
miraculous  feeding  of  the  multitude  was  on  the 
eastern  edge  of  the  plain,  which  seems  to  have 
been  in  the  past,  as  it  is  at  the  present  time,  a 
desert  or  uninhabited  region. 

South  of  the  plain  of  Batihah  there  is  an  un¬ 
broken  border  of  level  coast,  seldom  less  than 
half  a  mile  in  width,  which  extends  to  the  south 
end  of  the  lake.  The  most  notable  contraction 
of  the  coast  along  this  line  is  atGhersa,  the  prob¬ 
able  site  of  Gergesa,  directly  opposite  Magdala 
on  the  western  side.  In  the  vicinity  of  this  land¬ 
ing-place  was  the  scene  of  the  healing  of  the 
fierce  demoniac  and  the  destruction  of  the  herd 


n4 


Memorable  Places 


of  swine.  '‘The  site,"  says  Dr.  Thomson,  “is 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  shore,  and  a  mountain 
rises  directly  above  it,  in  which  are  ancient 
tombs;  out  of  some  of  them  the  man  possessed 
of  the  devils  may  have  issued  to  meet  Jesus. 
The  lake  is  so  near  the  base  of  the  mountain  at 
this  place  that  a  herd  of  swine  feeding  above  it, 
seized  with  a  sudden  panic,  would  rush  madly 
down  the  declivity,  those  behind  tumbling  over 
and  thrusting  forward  those  before,  and,  as  there 
is  no  space  to  recover  on  the  narrow  plain  be¬ 
tween  the  base  of  the  mountain  and  the  lake, 
they  would  crowd  headlong  into  the  water  and 
perish."  To  this  description  Dr.  Thomson  adds 
the  statement  that  wild  hogs  abound  at  this 
place,  and  in  a  state  as  wild  and  fierce  as  though 
they  were  still  “  possessed." 

The  deepest  furrow  in  the  hills  on  this  side  is 
the  Wady  Fik,  which  enters  the  lake  three  miles 
below  Ghersa.  On  the  precipitous  heights  above 
are  the  ruins  of  Gamala  (Kulat-el  Husn),  a  well- 
nigh  impregnable  stronghold,  famous  for  the 
desperate  resistance  its  defenders  made  to  the 
Romans. 

The  break  in  the  hills  through  which  the  Jordan 
passes  out  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  about  four 
miles  wide.  It  issues  near  the  southwest  corner 
and  for  a  short  distance  runs  nearly  west.  A 
ruined  bridge  of  ten  arches  marks  the  crossing  of 
the  old  Roman  road  from  Tiberias  to  Gadara  and 
the  regions  beyond.  West  of  the  Jordan  on  a 
little  peninsula  covered  with  ruins  is  the  site  of 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  115 

Tarichsea,  now  called  Kerak.  This  is  the  only 
position  on  the  coast,  says  Dr.  Smith,  which 
now  suits  Josephus’s  description  of  Tarichsea  as 
washed  on  more  than  one  side  by  the  sea.  From 
this  point  to  the  Hot  Springs  near  Tiberias,  a  dis¬ 
tance  of  four  or  five  miles,  the  hills  close  down 
to  the  lake,  leaving  only  a  narrow  margin  of 
coastland.  Tiberias  nestles  in  a  semicircular  re¬ 
cess,  which  extends  for  a  mile  or  more  along  the 
shore.  Its  ruins  cover  acres  of  ground,  and  re¬ 
cent  researches  have  shown  that  the  enclosing 
wall  was  nearly  three  miles  in  circumference. 
Between  Tiberias  and  Magdala  the  hills  again 
come  down  almost  to  the  water’s  edge,  except  at 
one  point  where  there  is  a  slight  expanse  at  the 
mouth  of  a  ravine.  On  this  level  space  some 
ruins  of  an  ancient  town  have  been  found.  The 
proposed  identification  of  this  site  with  Dalma- 
nutha  has  met  with  some  favor,  inasmuch  as  it 
seems  to  have  been  near  the  border  of  Magdala, 
but  there  is  no  positive  evidence  in  favor  of  this 
identification.  The  plain  of  Gennesaret,  as  al¬ 
ready  noted,  extends  from  Magdala  to  Khan 
Minyeh.  Beyond  the  spur  of  rock  which  forms 
its  northern  border  lies  Tabighah,  the  probable 
site  of  Bethsaida  of  Galilee.  Tell  Hum,  which 
Robinson  and  others  have  identified  with  Chora- 
zin,  is  a  mile  and  a  half  farther  along  the  coast. 
A  journey  of  two  and  a  half  miles  from  this  site 
brings  us  to  the  Jordan  and  completes  the  circuit. 

In  the  time  of  our  Lord  not  less  than  nine  pros¬ 
perous  cities,  with  numerous  outlying  villages 


1 1 6  Memorable  Places 

and  villas,  were  scattered  along  this  lowland  belt. 
“As  the  Dead  Sea  is  girdled  by  an  almost  count¬ 
less  hedge  of  driftwood,”  says  Dr.  Smith,  “so 
the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  girdled  by  a  scarcely  less 
continuous  belt  of  ruins, — the  drift  of  her  ancient 
towns.” 

Dr.  Selah  Merrill,  who  spent  weeks  upon  the 
shores  of  this  silent  sea,  and  had  exceptional  ad¬ 
vantages  for  the  study  of  its  environs,  gives  the 
following  testimony  concerning  the  remarkable 
diversity  of  its  natural  features:  “At  every  two 
or  three  miles  of  travel  a  new  picture  presents 
itself,  so  that,  wjere  an  artist  to  go  around  the 
Sea  of  Galilee  and  make  a  collection  of  views, 
illustrating  its  shores,  plains,  streams,  springs, 
hills,  castles,  and  grander  mountains  which  look 
down  upon  it  from  a  distance,  the  result  would 
be  a  wonderful  surprise,  certainly  to  those  who 
are  not  familiar  with  this  region,  as  showing  the 
variety  and  beauty  of  scenes  of  nature  that  were 
constantly  before  the  eyes  of  our  Lord.”  Amid 
all  the  changes  and  desolations,  which  have  well- 
nigh  obliterated  the  works  of  man,  the  outlines 
and  groundwork  of  its  natural  features  still  re¬ 
main.  Its  fair  expanse  of  waters,  gleaming  in 
the  sunlight,  like  an  opal  set  in  emeralds;  its 
pearly  beach  and  charming  bays;  its  rippling 
wavelets  and  crystal  depths;  its  encircling  plains 
and  outer  rim  of  rugged  mountain  walls  com¬ 
bine  to  reproduce  the  very  picture,  in  all  its 
essential  details,  upon  which  the  eyes  of  Jesus 
rested  long  centuries  ago. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  117 

There  may  be  other  lakes  more  pleasing  to  the 
eye,  with  surroundings  more  picturesque  or 
grand,  but  to  the  Christian  Galilee,  made  blessedly 
familiar  by  the  story  of  the  evangelists,  is  next  to 
the  Holy  City — the  most  hallowed  spot  on  earth. 
Here  by  mountainside  and  lakeside  the  Glorious 
One  who  came  to  save  preached  the  gospel  of 
the  kingdom;  healed  the  sick,  cleansed  the  lepers, 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind;  cast  out  demons, 
raised  the  dead,  comforted  the  sorrowing,  gave 
rest  to  the  weary  and  heavy  laden,  calmed  the 
raging  winds  and  waves  by  a  word,  and  made  of 
the  unstable  waters  a  pathway  for  His  feet,  that 
He  might  come  to  the  help  of  His  imperilled 
disciples. 

“What  this  lake  region  has  lost  in  population 
and  activity,”  says  Dean  Farrar,  “it  has  gained 
in  solemnity  and  interest.  If  every  vestige  of 
human  habitation  should  disappear  from  beside 
it,  and  the  jackal  and  the  hyena  should  howl 
about  the  shattered  fragments  of  the  synagogues 
where  Christ  taught,  yet  the  fact  that  He  chose  it 
as  the  scene  of  His  opening  ministry  will  give  a 
sense  of  sacredness  and  pathos  to  its  lonely 
waters  till  time  shall  be  no  more.” 


VIII 


“HIS  OWN  CITY" 

Capernaum,  by  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  was  the  fa¬ 
vorite  dwelling-place  of  our  Lord  during  the 
greater  part  of  His  public  ministry.  It  was  “  His 
own  city"  by  choice;  and,  as  a  result  of  that 
choice,  it  became  the  focus  of  His  busy  life  by 
the  lake,  the  birthplace  of  His  church,  the  central 
pulpit  of  His  teaching,  and  the  central  station  of 
His  missionary  tours.  Dr.  Hanna  makes  mention 
of  nine  departures  from  and  returns  to  Caper¬ 
naum  in  the  course  of  our  Lord’s  Galilean  minis¬ 
tries.  Three  of  these  were  extensive  tours 
through  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  district; 
and  five  or  six  were  more  limited  ones.  As  a 
recognized  citizen  of  Capernaum  Jesus  paid 
tribute  and  frequently  taught  in  the  synagogue. 
When  the  people  gathered  around  Him  in 
crowds,  insomuch  that  there  was  no  room  to  re¬ 
ceive  them,  He  withdrew  to  the  seaside  close  at 
hand,  or  taught  them  from  a  fishing  vessel 
moored  a  little  distance  from  the  shore. 

At  Nazareth  Jesus  had  enjoyed  the  privileges 
and  shared  the  common  experiences  of  household 
life  with  brothers  and  sisters,  but  from  the  time 
that  He  left  this  home  of  His  childhood  and  youth 
He  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head.  In  this  city 


n9 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

by  the  lake,  to  which  Jesus  brought  such  price¬ 
less  blessings,  He  had  no  house  that  He  could 
call  His  own.  He  had  a  richer  possession  here, 
however,  in  the  wealth  of  love  and  affection  be¬ 
stowed  upon  Him  by  a  few  faithful  followers 
and  devoted  friends,  who  gladly  received  Him 
into  their  houses  and  esteemed  it  a  high  honor 
and  privilege  to  minister  to  His  necessities.  The 
house  of  Simon  Peter  seems  to  have  been  His 
home — in  so  far  as  He  could  have  a  home  on 
earth— during  this  period  of  unselfish  and  almost 
incessant  labors.  Among  the  friends  of  Jesus,  at 
this  time  resident  in  Capernaum,  were  Andrew 
and  Peter;  the  mother-in-law  of  Peter,  whom  He 
had  brought  back  from  the  gates  of  death  by  a 
touch  of  His  hand;  James  and  John,  the  sons  of 
Zebedee;  Matthew,  the  convert  from  the  ranks 
of  the  Publicans;  the  nobleman  of  Herod’s  court, 
who,  after  the  healing  of  his  son,  believed  in 
Christ  with  his  whole  house;  and  many  name¬ 
less  disciples,  also,  who,  like  this  nobleman’s 
son,  or  the  paralytic  in  Simon’s  house,  had  been 
healed  in  body  and  soul  by  the  word  or  touch  of 
Jesus. 

Three  of  the  evangelists  have  given  us  a  rec¬ 
ord  of  the  labors  and  beneficent  ministries 
which  filled  one  Sabbath  day  in  Capernaum.  As 
the  evening  time  drew  near  the  interest  which 
had  been  awakened  among  the  people  increased 
and  soon  “  all  the  city  was  gathered  together”  at 
the  door  of  Simon’s  house:  “and  all  they  that 
had  any  sick  with  divers  diseases  brought  them 


120 


Memorable  Places 


unto  Him;  and  He  laid  His  hands  on  every  one 
of  them  and  healed  them  ”  (Matt.  8:  14-17;  Mark 
1:21-31;  Luke  4:  33-41). 

Capernaum  in  the  time  of  Christ  was  a  pros¬ 
perous  commercial  city  on  one  of  the  great  high¬ 
ways  from  Egypt  to  Damascus.  It  was  the 
centre  of  the  local  fisheries  and  an  important 
shipping  port  on  the  lake.  It  had  a  custom¬ 
house,  a  notable  synagogue,  built  by  a  friendly 
Roman  centurion,  and  a  castle  or  garrison 
manned  by  Roman  soldiers.  Here  Jesus  came 
into  contact  with  men  of  every  class,  nationality 
and  vocation,  and  thus  prepared  the  way  for  the 
extension  of  His  Kingdom,  in  later  days,  through¬ 
out  the  Roman  world.  The  western  shore  of 
the  Sea  of  Galilee,  especially  the  Land  of  Gennes- 
aret,  was  at  this  time  a  region  of  extraordinary 
beauty  and  fertility.  There  is  abundant  evidence 
that  it  was  a  densely  populated  district,  thickly 
dotted  over  with  prosperous  cities  and  villages 
and  all  astir  with  life  and  activity.  “  In  His 
day,”  says  Dr.  Selah  Merrill,  “the  lake  was  full 
of  fish  and  covered  with  boats.  The  wheat 
fields  on  the  surrounding  slopes  yielded  abundant 
harvests,  and  the  plains  produced  the  choicest 
fruits.  Caravans  and  travellers  crowded  the 
highways,  the  shores  were  covered  with  people, 
and  the  entire  basin  presented  a  scene  of  life  and 
activity  such  as  was  true  of  few  other  places  in 
the  world,  and  which  it  is  difficult  now  for  even 
the  imagination  to  reproduce.  It  was  in  this 
beautiful  region,  and  among  its  busy  men,  that 


121 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

our  Lord  chose  His  home,  and  did  many  of  His 
wonderful  works.”  “Nowhere,”  says  another 
writer,  “except  in  the  capital  itself,  could  He 
have  found  such  a  sphere  for  His  works  and 
words  of  mercy;  from  no  other  centre  could 
‘His  fame’  have  so  gone  throughout  all  Syria; 
nowhere  else  could  He  have  so  drawn  around 
Him  the  vast  multitudes  who  hung  on  His  lips.” 

The  contrast  between  this  place  in  that  day  of 
prosperity  and  privilege  and  the  utter  desolation 
and  abandonment  of  the  present  is  an  impressive 
commentary  on  the  solemn  and  significant  words 
in  which  Jesus,  at  length,  pronounced  its  doom. 
It  had  privileges  such  as  had  not  been  enjoyed  by 
any  other  city  on  earth,  but  its  busy  habitants 
neglected  the  day  of  their  merciful  visitation  and 
rejected  their  heaven-sent  King.  Except  a  little 
company  of  devoted  followers,  the  people  of 
Capernaum  were  indifferent  to  the  claims  of  the 
spiritual  kingdom,  which  Jesus  had  come  to  es¬ 
tablish  in  their  midst,  and  the  gracious  words 
which  they  heard  and  the  wonderful  works 
which  they  witnessed,  day  by  day,  made  no  per¬ 
manent  impression  on  mind  or  heart.  They  saw 
and  they  heard  but  they  repented  not.  “  To  any 
thoughtful  student  of  the  Gospel  History,”  says 
Dean  Stanley,  “it  would  have  seemed  that,  of 
all  places  there  recorded,  the  scene  of  our  Lord's 
permanent  residence,  of  His  home  for  the  three 
most  important  years  of  His  life,  would  have 
been  regarded  as  far  more  worthy  of  preserva¬ 
tion  than  any  other  spot  connected  with  His 


122 


Memorable  Places 


earthly  course.  None  other  could  have  witnessed 
so  many  of  His  words  and  works.  To  no  other 
could  His  disciples  have  returned  with  such  fond 
and  familiar  recollections,  as  that  where  they 
first  became  acquainted  with  Him,  and  which 
had  witnessed  the  greater  part  of  their  inter¬ 
course  with  Him.  Yet  it  is  this  which  has 
passed  away,  without  even  a  memorial  or  tradi¬ 
tion  to  mark  its  place."  While  the  site  of  Caper¬ 
naum  is  still  a  matter  of  dispute,  it  may  be  re¬ 
garded  as  certain  that  it  was  somewhere  on  the 
plain  or  coast  which  borders  the  northwest  sec¬ 
tion  of  the  lake.  A  careful  study  of  all  the  sur¬ 
face  indications,  in  recent  years,  warrants  the 
conclusion,  to  which  all  parties  now  give  assent, 
that  the  limit  of  distance  along  this  portion  of  the 
coast  plain,  in  which  the  site  of  Capernaum  is 
likely  to  be  found,  does  not  exceed  a  stretch  of 
three  miles.  Within  this  limited  territory  there 
are  two  locations  whose  respective  claims  have 
been  ably  advocated  by  eminent  writers  and  ex¬ 
plorers.  One,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
Plain  of  Gennesaret,  is  marked  by  a  ruined  cara¬ 
vansary  called  Khan  Minyeh,  which  has  been 
known  as  a  halting  place  on  the  road  to  Damas¬ 
cus  for  700  years;  the  other  location  is  about 
half  way  between  Khan  Minyeh  and  the  inlet  of 
the  Jordan  River,  and  is  called  Tell  Hum.  Its 
distance  from  Khan  Minyeh  is  about  two  and  a 
half  miles.  At  Tell  Hum  there  are  extensive 
ruins,  among  which  huge  blocks  of  black  basalt 
and  delicately  carved  columns  of  marble,  or  fine 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  123 

white  limestone,  are  indiscriminately  mingled  to¬ 
gether.  At  one  point  a  heap  of  columns,  cor¬ 
nices,  entablatures  and  sculptured  slabs  mark  the 
site  of  a  Jewish  synagogue  which  was  seventy- 
five  feet  in  length  and  fifty-six  feet  in  width. 
The  suggestion  that  this  synagogue  was  identical 
with  the  building  in  which  Jesus  taught  while  a 
resident  of  Capernaum  has  met  with  much  favor 
among  Bible  students,  and  has  contributed  not  a 
little  to  the  support  of  the  view  that  Tell  Hum 
occupies  the  site  of  Capernaum.  “If  Tell  Hum 
be  Capernaum,”  says  Colonel  Wilson,  “this  is, 
without  a  doubt,  the  synagogue  built  by  the  Ro¬ 
man  centurion,  and  one  of  the  most  sacred  places 
on  earth.”  To  this  supposition,  however,  there 
are  some  serious  objections  which  may  be  briefly 
stated  as  follows: 

(1)  The  name,  which  is  supposed  to  be  a 
modified  form  of  Capernaum,  does  not  furnish 
satisfactory  evidence  of  its  connection  with  the 
city  of  Capernaum.  The  similarity  between  the 
two  words  is  apparent  in  the  last  syllable  only. 
Dr.  George  Adams  Smith  makes  the  assertion  that 
Tell  Hum  is  an  impossible  contraction  from 
Kephar-Nahum,  and  other  eminent  authorities 
regard  it  as  at  least  a  very  unlikely  supposition 
that  Kephar,  or  Caper,  which  represents  the 
Hebrew  word  for  village,  should  be  supplanted 
by  the  Arabic  word  Tell,  inasmuch  as  there  is  no 
Tell  or  mound  at  the  place.  (2)  The  extensive 
ruins  above  ground  at  this  place,  including  the 
synagogue,  do  not  furnish  any  positive  proof  of 


124 


Memorable  Places 


its  connection  with  Capernaum.  They  might 
with  equal  propriety  be  regarded  as  the  ruins  of 
Chorazin,  a  city  of  like  character  and  importance. 
It  should  be  noted  in  this  connection  that  nine 
synagogues,  corresponding  to  the  one  at  Tell 
Hum  in  their  general  features,  have  been  found 
amid  other  ruins  around  the  lake  or  on  the  hills 
of  Galilee:  and  that  most,  if  not  all  of  them,  are 
assigned  by  good  authorities,  to  the  period  of  the 
Jewish  revival  in  the  second  century  of  our  era. 
(j)  Tell  Hum  is  at  least  two  miles  from  the 
great  highway  which  leads  to  the  north,  and  it 
seems  likely  that  the  rugged  pathway  by  which 
it  is  now  reached  was  its  only  connection  by  land 
with  the  old  Roman  road,  which  leaves  the  Lake 
at  Khan  Minyeh.  (4)  There  are  no  remains  of 
a  fort  or  garrison  in  or  near  Tell  Hum  and  no 
trace  of  a  fountain,  such  as  Josephus  describes, 
and  to  which  he  gives  the  name  of  Kapharnaum. 
This  fountain  he  also  associates  with  the  tract — 
as  is  evident  from  his  own  description — which  is 
now  known  as  the  Plain  of  Gennesaret.  (5) 
This  site  is  outside  the  land  of  Gennesaret,  in 
which  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  the  city 
of  Capernaum  was  located.  Canon  Tristram, 
who  is  inclined  to  favor  the  site  of  Tell  Hum,  on 
other  grounds,  frankly  says  that  “its  distance 
from  the  Round  Fountain  and  from  the  Plain  of 
Gennesaret  seems  the  obstacle  to  a  decisive 
admission  of  its  being  the  city  of  the  Gospels." 
(6)  There  are  no  indications  of  a  harbor  at  Tell 
Hum.  After  a  careful  examination  Dr.  Tristram 


12^ 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

came  to  the  conclusion  that  “  there  are  no  traces 
of  a  harbor,  and  that  it  could  never  have  been  a 
convenient  spot  for  fishing  boats.”  This  alone  is 
a  very  formidable  objection. 

The  advocates  of  this  site  are  Colonel  Wilson, 
Dr.  W.  M.  Thomson,  Renan,  Ritter,  and  other 
eminent  writers  and  explorers.  The  principal 
advocates  of  the  site  at  Khan  Minyeh  are  Dr. 
Edward  Robinson,  Merrill,  Conder,  Porter,  Kitch¬ 
ener,  Macgregor,  Lightfoot  and  Keim. 

The  existence  of  a  city  at  Khan  Minyeh  is 
indicated  by  a  series  of  low  mounds,  which  lie  to 
the  south  of  the  khan,  about  one  hundred  yards 
from  the  seashore.  The  ruins  above  ground  are 
not  extensive  as  at  Tell  Hum,  but  hewn  stones 
and  strongly  built  limestone  walls  have  been 
found  at  a  depth  of  four  or  five  feet.  All  the 
indications  point  to  a  buried  city  consigned  to 
utter  destruction  in  accordance  with  the  sentence 
long  ago  pronounced  against  it.  In  front  of  this 
ruined  site  is  the  curved  line  of  its  ancient  harbor 
and  the  beautiful  strand  fringed  by  a  mass  of 
luxuriant  vegetation,  and  white  with  myriads  of 
closely  compacted  fresh-water  shells.  A  fountain 
called  Ain  et  Tin  bursts  out  from  the  foot  of  a 
cliff  near  the  khan  and  runs  directly  into  the 
lake.  At  its  mouth  is  a  marsh  in  which  may  still 
be  seen  a  luxuriant  growth  of  reeds  and  papyrus. 
This  is  the  only  place  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee 
where  the  Egyptian  papyrus  is  found,  but  at 
Lake  Huleh  it  covers  acres  of  the  adjacent 
swampland.  In  the  face  of  the  cliff  or  bluff 


126 


Memorable  Places 


there  is  a  wide  trench,  now  used  as  a  horse  path, 
which  was  evidently  hewn  out  of  the  rock  with 
a  view  to  carrying  water  to  the  plain  from  the 
fountain  of  Tabighah,  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  distant.  Dr.  Merrill  mentions  the  fact  that 
many  of  the  stones  used  in  the  construction  of 
this  aqueduct  are  found  with  the  cement  still 
adhering  to  them.  The  cutting  in  the  rock, 
according  to  his  measurement,  is  fifty-three  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  lake. 

Accepting  the  theory  that  the  fountain  to  which 
Josephus  refers  was  at  Tabighah,  Kitchener  says: 
“The  water  was  brought  past  Minyeh  to*  the 
plain  and  was  naturally  called  after  that  place. 
It  could  hardly  be  called  after  Tell  Hum,  a  mile 
and  three-quarters  distant  from  the  spring,  and 
in  the  opposite  direction.”  On  the  top  of  the 
hill  in  which  the  cutting  is  made  there  is  an  arti¬ 
ficially  levelled  plateau  with  traces  of  walls  and 
buildings,  and  also  of  steps  leading  up  to  it. 
The  castle  or  garrison  in  which  the  centurion 
resided  was  probably  on  this  height,  while  the 
custom-house  would  be  at  the  point  where  the 
road  from  the  north  touches  the  lake. 

Here  then  is  a  site  which  accords  with  the 
incidental  accounts  given  by  Josephus;  with  all 
the  known  facts  relating  to  the  city;  with  all  the 
features  which  are  lacking  in  the  site  farther  to 
the  north;  and  with  all  the  incidents  mentioned 
by  the  evangelist  in  the  gospel  narrative.  It 
connects  the  home  of  Jesus  with  the  most  beau¬ 
tiful  spot  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee;  with  a  natural 


MINYEH. 

The  Papyrus  grows  luxuriantly  on  the  marsh  which  borders  the  Lake. 


127 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

harbor,  where  the  boats  of  the  fishermen  could 
glide  up  smoothly  and  safely  to  the  shore;  with 
a  long  shelly  beach  firm  and  hard  as  a  floor;  and 
with  a  plain  unequalled  for  fertility  in  all  the 
world. 


IX 


BETHSAIDA  OF  GALILEE 

The  theory  that  there  were  originally  two 
places  called  Bethsaida  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee — one 
of  which  was  on  the  western  shore — has  been 
disputed  by  some  noted  writers  and  explorers, 
but  the  evidence  in  its  favor  rests  upon  well 
authenticated  facts  of  observation  and  history. 

In  dealing  with  this  contention  it  should  be 
noted  at  the  outset,  that  the  officially  recognized 
boundary  line  between  the  Roman  province  of 
Galilee  and  Gaulanitis  was  the  Upper  Jordan  and 
the  eastern  border  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 

During  the  period  of  our  Lord’s  public  ministry 
these  provinces  were  ruled  by  Herod  Antipas  and 
Herod  Philip.  The  eastern  shore  was  for  the 
most  part  a  desert  or  uninhabited  region,  but  on 
the  western  shore  cities  and  villages  were  thickly 
clustered  together.  It  is  worthy  of  note  in  this 
connection,  also,  that  from  time  immemorial  it 
has  been  the  custom  to  speak  of  the  country  east¬ 
ward  of  the  Jordan  and  its  lakes  as  “the  other 
side”;  and  the  same  phraseology  has  been  used 
to  indicate  the  western  shore  by  those  who  lived 
or  journeyed,  on  the  eastern  side.  In  this  sense 
the  evangelists  always  use  the  term,  or  its  equiv¬ 
alent  expressions,  as  the  parallel  passages  and  in¬ 
cidental  references  clearly  show.  (Compare 

128 


129 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

Matt.  8:  28;  Mark  5:  1;  Luke  8:  26,  with  Matt. 
9:  1;  Mark  5:  21;  Luke  8:  40;  also,  Luke  9:  10, 
11 ;  John  6:  1,  2,  with  Matt.  14:22;  Mark  6:45; 
John  6:  22,  23  and  53.) 

There  is  no  controversy  with  respect  to  the  ex¬ 
istence  of  a  town  originally  called  Bethsaida  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Upper  Jordan.  While  its 
exact  position  is  not  definitely  known,  it  is  cer¬ 
tain  that  it  was  in  the  district  of  Gaulanitis  and 
not  far  from  the  spot  where  the  river  entered  the 
lake.  Josephus  says  that  Philip  “  advanced  the 
village  Bethsaida,  situate  at  the  Lake  of  Gennes- 
areth,  unto  the  dignity  of  a  city,  both  by  the 
number  of  inhabitants  it  contained,  and  its  other 
grandeur,  and  called  it  by  the  name  of  Julias,  the 
same  name  with  Caesar’s  daughter”  (Antiq. 
XVIII,  2,  1). 

In  other  passages  the  Jewish  historian  indicates 
its  position  as  “beyond  Jordan”;  in  “lower 
Gaulanitis”:  and  as  being  “ alongside  the  river, 
which  flowed  past  it  into  the  lake.” 

In  every  instance,  however,  except  the  one 
above  noted,  he  calls  it  Julias  (Wars  II,  8,  1  and 
13,  2;  Antiq.  II,  9,  1;  Wars  III,  12,  7;  Life,  72). 
Pliny  mentions  the  city  of  Julias,  also,  and  places 
it  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake.  The  modern  des¬ 
ignation  Bethsaida-Julias,  is  not  to  be  found  in 
ancient  history,  sacred  or  secular.  Luke  calls  it 
Bethsaida,  its  original  designation  according  to 
Josephus,  but  all  other  writers  of  the  Roman 
period  drop  the  old  name  and  invariably  call  it 
Julias. 


130  Memorable  Places 

The  only  site  which  seems  to  accord  with  the 
descriptions  of  this  royal  city  of  Philip,  is  a 
mound  or  knoll,  partly  covered  with  ruins,  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  plain  of  Batihah.  This 
site,  known  as  Et  Tell,  is  close  to  the  principal 
fording  place  of  the  Jordan  on  the  plain,  but  it  is 
more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  north  end 
of  the  lake.  Local  changes  in  the  river  delta  may 
have  increased  the  distance  between  these  points 
since  the  time  of  Christ,  but  if  Et  Tell  represents 
the  site  of  Julias,  it  must  always  have  been  a  con¬ 
siderable  distance  from  the  head  of  the  lake.  It 
is  not  unlikely,  however — as  Dr.  Merrill  suggests 
— that  the  landing  place  of  Julias  was  the  original 
site  of  the  town,  and  that  among  the  local  fisher¬ 
men  it  retained  its  old  name  for  some  time  after 
the  building  of  the  city  of  Philip,  which  would 
naturally  be  laid  out  on  higher  ground.  “  A  fish¬ 
ing  place,  a  Bethsaida — as  he  expresses  it — must 
of  necessity  be  on  the  lake.  After  the  city  was 
built  away  from  it,  a  fishing  place  would  still  re¬ 
main.  .  .  .  Fishermen  would  resort  thither, 

and  passengers  and  merchandise  for  Julias  would 
be  landed  there.  But  it  was  a  small  place,  it  had 
no  synagogue,  and  to  the  Jews  was  a  village." 
This  explanation  accords  with  the  statement  in 
Mark’s  Gospel  (8:  22-26),  where  the  same  Beth¬ 
saida,  as  the  context  indicates,  is  described  as  a 
village  (see  verses  10  and  13).  Near  this  place  a 
blind  man  was  healed,  but  there  is  no  intimation 
that  Jesus,  whose  mission  was  to  the  lost  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel,  ever  entered  the  Graeco- 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  131 

Roman  cities  of  Tiberias  and  Julias  in  which 
Herod  Antipas  and  Herod  Philip  held  court. 

The  scene  of  the  miraculous  feeding  of  the 
multitude,  mention  of  which  is  made  by  all  of 
the  evangelists,  was  evidently  on  the  eastern  edge 
of  the  Batihah  plain,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  lake.  This  place  fulfills  all  the  conditions  of 
the  several  narratives.  It  is  recognized  by  Luke 
as  belonging  to  the  District  of  Bethsaida  and  yet 
it  was  a  region  apart  from  the  towns,  where  the 
native  grass  thickly  covered  the  fallow  ground 
and  made  a  comfortable  resting-place  for  the 
weary  multitudes.  To  this  retreat  Jesus  came  by 
ship  from  some  point  on  the  northwestern  side  of 
the  sea  for  rest  and  seclusion;  but  the  people, 
we  are  told,  ran  afoot  out  of  all  the  cities,  when 
they  had  noted  the  direction  in  which  Jesus 
sailed,  and,  reaching  the  other  side  before  the 
vessel  arrived,  were  ready  to  meet  Him  at  the 
landing  place.  Moved  with  pity  towards  this  vast 
concourse  of  people,  who  were  as  sheep  not  hav¬ 
ing  a  shepherd,  Jesus  ascended  a  gentle  slope  at 
the  foot  of  the  adjacent  mountain;  and,  as  the 
people  gathered  closely  around  Him,  “began  to 
teach  them  many  things  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  heal  them  that  had  need  of  healing."  When 
the  day  began  to  wear  away  He  again  manifested 
His  compassion  as  well  as  His  almighty  power 
by  multiplying  the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes, 
which  were  brought  to  Him  by  the  disciples,  for 
the  supply  of  their  immediate  temporal  needs. 

In  view  of  these  facts  it  is  admitted  without 


Memorable  Places 


132 

hesitation  that  two  of  the  passages  in  which 
Bethsaida  is  mentioned  by  the  evangelists  refer  to 
the  place,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan,  whose 
claims  we  have  been  considering.  It  seems 
impossible,  however,  to  refer  the  five  remaining 
references  to  this  site  without  impugning  the  ac¬ 
curacy  of  the  Gospel  narratives.  It  has  been  in¬ 
timated  by  some  writers  that  the  existence  of  a 
second  Bethsaida  was  invented  to  meet  a  sup¬ 
posed  difficulty  in  the  narratives  of  the  evangel¬ 
ists,  but  this  is  not  a  fair  statement  of  the  case. 
A  second  Bethsaida,  belonging  to  the  province  of 
Galilee,  is  designated  by  name  as  well  as  im¬ 
plied  by  incidental  reference.  Its  claims  are  ad¬ 
vocated  mainly,  if  not  solely,  on  the  ground  that 
it  is  in  the  record. 

The  main  points  of  the  argument  in  favor  of  a 
western  Bethsaida  may  be  briefly  summed  up  as 
follows: 

1.  In  the  narrative  of  the  return  journey,  after 
the  miraculous  feeding  of  the  multitude,  it  is  dis¬ 
tinctly  stated  that  the  disciples  embarked  in  a 
ship  “to  go  to  the  other  side  before  unto  Beth¬ 
saida,  ”  while  Jesus  sent  the  multitudes  away 
(Mark  6:45).  If  the  words  “unto  or  towards 
Bethsaida”  stood  alone,  there  might  be  some 
ground  for  the  supposition  that  the  disciples 
aimed  to  sail  along  the  shore  towards  Bethsaida- 
Julias,  but  in  the  description  which  follows,  the 
evangelist  makes  it  plain  that  the  “other  side,” 
as  he  uses  the  expression,  means  the  western 
shore  of  the  lake:  “And  when  they  had  passed 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  133 

over  they  came  into  the  land  of  Gennesaret  ” 
(6:  33).  The  parallel  accounts  convey  the  same 
impression  and  are  equally  decisive  on  this  point: 
“Jesus  straightway  constrained  His  disciples  to 
get  into  a  ship,  says  Matthew,  and  to  go  before 
Him  unto  the  other  side.”  “  And  when  they  were 
gone  over  they  came  into  the  land  of  Gennesaret" 
(14:  22  and  34).  John  says:  “And  when  even 
was  now  come  His  disciples  went  down  unto  the 
sea,  and  entered  into  a  ship,  and  went  over  the 
sea  towards  Capernaum”  (6:  16,  17).  There  is 
no  discrepancy  between  the  statements  of  Mark 
and  John,  if  Dr.  Robinson  is  right  in  identifying 
Et  Tabighah  with  Bethsaida.  The  general  direc¬ 
tion  would  be  the  same,  and  the  distance  be¬ 
tween  the  two  points  does  not  exceed  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile.  During  the  night  the  disciples 
made  little  progress  because  the  wind  was  con¬ 
trary,  but  in  the  dawning  of  the  morning  Jesus 
appeared  to  them  walking  on  the  sea.  After¬ 
wards  they  received  Him  into  the  ship;  “and 
immediately  the  ship  was  at  the  land  whither 
they  went "  (John  6:  21).  In  keeping  with  these 
statements  is  the  mention  of  the  fact  that  “the 
multitude  which  stood  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sea,  and  noted  the  direction  taken  by  the  vessel 
in  which  the  disciples  sailed,  took  shipping  the 
following  day  and  came  to  Capernaum,  seeking 
for  Jesus"  (John  6:  22-24).  These  passages,  in¬ 
terpreted  in  their  natural  and  ordinary  sense, 
clearly  show  that  the  disciples  aimed  to  go  to  the 
western  side  of  the  lake,  in  obedience  to  the 


134 


Memorable  Places 


command  of  Jesus.  The  contrary  wind  retarded 
their  progress,  but  it  did  not  take  them  far  out  of 
their  course.  The  undisputed  mention  of  Beth- 
saida  in  this  connection  with  Capernaum  makes 
it  highly  probable,  also,  that  its  site  was  some¬ 
where  in  the  same  neighborhood. 

2.  This  testimony  is  verified  and  corroborated 
by  the  association  of  Bethsaida  with  Capernaum 
and  Chorazin  in  the  judgment  pronounced  by  our 
Lord  upon  these  highly  favored  cities,  “Woe 
unto  thee,  Chorazin!  woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida! 
for  if  the  mighty  works,  which  were  done  in 
you,  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they 
would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sack-cloth  and 
ashes.  And  thou  Capernaum,  which  art  exalted 
unto  heaven,  shalt  be  brought  down  to  hell  ” 
(Matt,  ii  :  21-23).  There  is  no  uncertainty  with 
respect  to  the  import  of  this  denunciation.  It 
does  not  apply  to  a  gentile,  or  foreign,  city,  like 
Julias,  for  it  is  here  contrasted  with  the  gentile 
cities  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  It  is  evident,  also,  that 
its  significance  inheres  in  the  declaration  that  this 
city  shared  with  Capernaum  and  Chorazin  of 
Galilee,  in  peculiar  privileges  and  oft-repeated 
manifestations  of  supernatural  power  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  ministry  of  Jesus.  In  other 
words,  it  was  in  the  very  centre  of  that  field  of 
wonders  honored  above  all  other  places  as  the 
residence  of  Jesus  to  which  multitudes  flocked 
from  every  quarter  of  the  land.  This  region,  as 
we  know  from  many  direct  and  incidental 
notices,  was  within  the  domain  ruled  by  Herod 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  135 

Antipas,  extending  from  Magdala  on  the  coast  to 
the  inlet  of  the  Jordan.  We  have  the  record  of 
three  brief  visits  of  our  Lord  to  the  half-heathen 
population  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  mainly 
for  rest  and  retirement,  but  there  is  no  record  of 
“many  mighty  works”  in  connection  with  any 
of  the  towns  or  cities  of  the  eastern  shore.  We 
read  of  itineraries  within  the  coast  of  Tiberias  and 
Julias — as  within  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon — 
but  there  is  no  record  that  Jesus  ever  entered 
either  of  these  Herodian  cities.  This  of  itself 
seems  to  be  an  unanswerable  argument  against 
the  proposed  identification  of  the  city,  to  which 
Jesus  refers  in  this  passage,  with  Julias  in  the  dis¬ 
trict  of  Gaulanitis. 

3.  The  testimony  of  the  Evangelist  John  is 
still  more  definite  and  explicit.  In  one  passage 
he  tells  us  that  Philip — one  of  the  apostolic  band 
— was  of  Bethsaida,  the  city  of  Andrew  and 
Peter  (John  1 :  45).  In  another  place  (12:  20)  he 
gives  the  further  information  that  Philip  was  of 
Bethsaida  of  Galilee.  This  testimony,  as  Dr. 
Merrill  puts  it,  has  but  one  meaning;  namely, 
Bethsaida  was  a  well-known  place,  it  was  in 
Galilee,  and  it  was  a  “  city  ”  (polis).  Those  who 
assume  that  there  was  only  one  Bethsaida,  and 
that  it  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  must 
either  discredit  or  explain  away  these  plain 
matter-of-fact  statements.  They  are  made  by 
one  who  is  eminently  worthy  of  respect  and 
confidence;  who  knew  every  foot  of  this  lakeside 
region,  and  who,  in  common  with  the  other 


136  Memorable  Places 

evangelists,  always  speaks  of  these  associates  as 
near  neighbors  and  as  men  of  Galilee.  We  can 
hardly  regard  it  as  among  the  possibilities  that 
the  apostle  John,  himself  a  Galilean,  and  probably 
of  the  same  place,  should  deliberately  make  the 
statement  that  this  city  was  in  Galilee,  if  it  were 
actually  a  part  of  the  territory  of  Herod  Philip,  or 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  or  lake.  The  fact 
that  he  mentions  Galilee  at  all  in  this  connection 
is  a  strong  presumptive  proof  that  he  wished  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  other  Bethsaida  on  the 
eastern  side.  Cana  of  Galilee  is  a  similar  ex¬ 
pression  in  the  same  gospel.  Dr.  George  A. 
Smith  attempts  to  reconcile  the  evangelist’s 
statement  with  his  theory  that  there  was  only 
one  Bethsaida,  on  the  assumption  that  the  province 
of  Galilee  included  “most  of  the  level  coastland 
east  of  the  lake.”  This  is  an  extraordinary  as¬ 
sumption,  if  it  applies  to  Galilee  in  the  time  of 
Christ,  and  is  apparently  in  conflict  with  all  the 
evidence  which  the  history  of  that  time  has  given 
us.  In  support  of  his  opinion,  Dr.  Smith  instances 
the  single  fact  that  Josephus  sometimes  calls 
Judas  of  Gamala  a  Galilean.  It  does  not  follow, 
however,  that  Josephus  means  by  this  that 
Gamala  was  a  city  belonging  to  the  province  of 
Galilee.  This  designation  might  have  been  used 
to  indicate  that  Judas  was  born  on  the  western 
side  of  the  lake:  or  it  may  have  been  given  to 
him  in  an  indefinite  sense,  because  he  was  at  the 
head  of  an  insurrection,  which  had  its  rise  in 
Galilee.  However  this  may  be,  the  same  author 


*37 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

tells  us  that  Judas  was  a  Gaulanite  of  a  city 
whose  name  was  Gamala  (Antiq.  1 8 :  i,  i);  and 
also,  by  implication,  that  Julias  and  Gamala 
were  regarded  as  outside  of  Galilee  in  his  day 
(Life,  71). 

The  objection  sometimes  urged  that  the  ex¬ 
istence  of  two  towns  of  the  same  name  in  close 
neighborhood  is  improbable,  has  little  weight  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  these  towns  were  in  differ¬ 
ent  provinces,  under  different  rulers,  and  in  many 
respects  had  but  little  in  common.  The  name 
itself  suggests  a  place  favorably  situated  for  fish¬ 
ermen,  and  might  with  propriety  be  applied  to 
more  places  than  one  by  the  seashore. 

Dr.  Thomson  suggests  the  possibility  of  a 
Bethsaida  on  either  bank  of  the  Jordan,  and  indi¬ 
cates  a  place  near  the  mouth  of  the  river — where 
some  ruins  have  been  found — as  the  probable  lo¬ 
cation  of  the  Galilean  city.  This  supposition  ac¬ 
cords  with  the  affirmative  view  of  this  question, 
but  the  site  itself  does  not  accord  with  the  history 
of  the  region,  nor  with  the  narratives  of  the 
evangelists. 

The  generally  accepted  site  of  Bethsaida  of 
Galilee  is  Ain  et  Tabighah.  It  is  at  the  head  of  a 
charming  little  bay  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
spur,  which  runs  out  into  the  sea  at  Kahn  Min- 
yeh.  The  conclusion  reached  by  Dr.  Robinson 
that  Khan  Minyeh  represents  Capernaum;  Et 
Tabighah,  Bethsaida;  and  Tell  Hum,  Chorazin, 
has  had  many  able  advocates  in  recent  years  and 
has  been  greatly  strengthened  by  the  results  of 


138  Memorable  Places 

careful  research.  '‘It  may  be  a  small  thing,” 
says  Dr.  Fish,  “upon  which  to  construct  a 
theory,  but  certainly  it  is  a  fact  of  interest,  that  if 
these  locations  be  accepted  as  the  right  ones, 
there  is  a  beautiful  order  in  Christ’s  enumeration 
of  the  three  cities  named.  And  we  can  fancy 
Him  uttering,  with  the  finger  pointing  towards 
each  in  succession,  down  along  the  lake,  the 
denunciation  upon  Chorazin,  Bethsaida,  Caper¬ 
naum.” 

This  view  is  strengthened  by  the  account  of 
Jerome  and  by  the  narrative  of  Willibald,  who 
visited  the  Holy  Land  in  the  year  722.  From  Ti¬ 
berias  his  party  went  round  the  sea  and  by  the 
village  of  Magdala  to  Capernaum:  and  thence 
they  went  to  Bethsaida  and  the  next  morning  to 
Chorazin. 

It  only  remains  to  be  said  that  this  location  ac¬ 
cords  with  all  the  direct  and  incidental  notices 
given  of  Bethsaida  of  Galilee  by  the  evangelists. 
It  is  near  to  Capernaum;  it  has  a  safe  harbor;  a 
good  anchorage;  a  beach  rising  rapidly  where 
boats  can  safely  approach  the  shore;  a  coast  free 
from  debris  and  driftwood;  and  in  this  vicinity 
the  fish  are  more  plentiful  than  at  any  other  point 
on  the  lake  shore.  It  is  still  a  “  Fishertown  ” 
where  boats  are  landed,  where  nets  are  dried  and 
fish  are  sorted  for  the  market,  as  in  the  days  of 
Philip  and  Andrew  and  Peter. 


X 


THE  MOUNTAIN  OF  THE  TRANSFIGURATION 

There  are  three  mountains  which  have  been 
hallowed,  and  made  forever  memorable  in  the 
history  of  Redemption,  by  supereminent  mani¬ 
festations  of  the  Divine  glory. 

One  is  Mount  Sinai  upon  which  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  rested  for  many  days,  “  and  the  sight 
of  this  glory  was  like  devouring  fire  on  the  top 
of  the  mount  in  the  eyes  of  the  children  of  Is¬ 
rael:  ”  another  is  Mount  Zion,  “the  mountain  of 
the  heights  of  Israel” — “the  holy  mountain  of 
God,”— on  which  the  Shekinah  rested  as  the  vis¬ 
ible  manifestation  of  the  abiding  presence  of 
Jehovah:  the  third  is  “the  high  mountain,” 
which  Peter  designates  as  “the  holy  mount,” 
where  Jesus  was  transfigured  before  His  chosen 
disciples,  “and  His  face  did  shine  as  the  sun,  and 
His  raiment  was  white  as  the  light.” 

The  mountain  of  the  Transfiguration  is  not 
mentioned  by  name  in  the  narrative  ol  the  evan¬ 
gelists,  and  the  only  clue  to  its  location  is  in  the 
incidental  notices  which  connect  it  with  our 
Lord’s  brief  sojourn  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Cesarea  Philippi.  A  monastic  tradition  as  old  as 
the  fourth  century,  in  apparent  disregard  of  these 
incidental  notices,  has  located  the  scene  of  the 

139 


140 


Memorable  Places 


Transfiguration  on  Mount  Tabor  in  Galilee. 
During  the  sixth  century  three  churches  were 
built  upon  the  summit  of  Tabor  to  commemorate 
this  event,  and  from  that  date  until  the  beginning 
of  the  latter  half  of  the  present  century  this  tra¬ 
ditional  assumption  has  been  generally  accepted 
by  biblical  scholars.  Mount  Tabor  is  a  conspic¬ 
uous  elevation  of  rare  beauty  and  symmetry  in 
its  outlines  and  proportions,  and  has  been  aptly 
styled  the  Righi  of  this  mountain  region.  There 
is  no  intimation,  however,  in  the  sacred  narrative 
which  in  anywise  connects  it  with  the  scene  of 
this  great  Epiphany.  It  has  frequent  mention  in 
the  Old  Testament  as  a  famous  landmark  and 
rallying  point  in  Israel,  but  there  is  not  a  single 
allusion  to  it,  either  by  name  or  association,  in 
the  New  Testament.  Apart  from  this  negative 
evidence  there  are  two  good  reasons  for  the  re¬ 
jection  of  the  tradition  which  locates  the  Trans¬ 
figuration  on  Mount  Tabor. 

(1)  At  the  date  of  this  occurrence  Tabor  was 
in  the  midst  of  a  dense  population.  A  great 
highway  from  the  plateau  above  led  past  its 
base,  and  a  fortified  city  occupied  permanently 
by  a  Roman  garrison,  crowned  its  summit. 
Amid  such  surroundings  it  would  have  been 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  find  a  quiet  retreat 
for  uninterrupted  communion  and  prayer,  such 
as  the  narrative  implies. 

(2)  In  this  narrative  the  Transfiguration  is 
closely  associated  with  a  group  of  events  which 
unquestionably  took  place  on  or  about  the  south- 


Hi 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

ern  slope  of  Mount  Hermon.  The  most  notable 
of  these  are  the  confession  of  Peter  and  the  pro¬ 
phetic  declaration  of  Jesus,  immediately  follow¬ 
ing  it,  concerning  His  approaching  sufferings  and 
death.  “After  these  sayings” — as  Luke  puts  it 
— “Jesus  took  Peter  and  John  and  James,  and 
went  up  into  the  mountain  (to  ’oros)  to  pray.” 
Of  the  six  full  days  which  followed  “these  say¬ 
ings”  there  is  no  record,  but  it  is  in  keeping 
with  the  purport  of  the  entire  narrative  to  assume 
that  they  were  spent  in  meditation  and  retire¬ 
ment.  The  Transfiguration  is  the  answer  to  the 
doubts  and  questionings  of  the  dismayed  dis¬ 
ciples,  and  there  is  no  intimation  that  the  Master 
passed  the  momentous  hours  of  this  transition 
period  in  travel,  or  that  He  sought  another  place, 
amid  the  thickly  settled  population  of  Galilee,  for 
this  crowning  manifestation  of  His  Divinity  and 
Messiahship:  on  the  contrary,  it  is  asserted  in 
Mark’s  gospel  (9:30)  that  Christ  passed  through 
Galilee  after  He  had  healed  the  spirit-possessed 
child  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  This  is  the 
mountain  on  which  He  was  transfigured,  and 
the  language  certainly  implies  that  it  was  outside 
the  Galilean  bounds.  This  would  be  literally 
true  of  the  coasts  of  Cesarea  Philippi,  which 
were  a  part  of  the  district  of  Gaulanitis,  governed 
by  Herod  Philip. 

The  argument  in  favor  of  Mount  Hermon  has 
been  happily  set  forth  by  John  Ruskin  in  his 
famous  essay  on  “  Mountains.”  “  All  the  imme¬ 
diately  preceding  ministries  of  Christ” — he  says 


142 


Memorable  Places 


— “had  been  at  Caesarea  Philippi.  There  is  no 
mention  of  travel  southward  in  the  six  days  that 
intervened  between  the  warning  given  to  His  dis¬ 
ciples,  and  the  going  up  into  the  hill.  What 
other  hill  could  it  be  than  the  southward  slope  of 
that  goodly  mountain,  Hermon,  which  is  indeed 
the  centre  of  all  the  Promised  Land,  from  the 
entering  in  of  Hamath  unto  the  river  of  Egypt; 
the  mount  of  fruitfulness,  from  which  the  springs 
of  Jordan  descended  to  the  valleys  of  Israel. 
Along  its  mighty  forest  avenues,  until  the  grass 
grew  fair  with  the  mountain  lilies,  His  feet 
dashed  in  the  dew  of  Hermon,  He  must  have 
gone  to  pray  His  first  recorded  prayer  about 
death;  and  from  the  steep  of  it,  before  He  knelt, 
could  see  to  the  south  all  the  dwelling-places  of 
the  people  that  had  sat  in  darkness,  and  seen  the 
great  light,  the  land  of  Zabulon  and  of  Naphtali, 
Galilee  of  the  nations; — could  see,  even  with  His 
human  sight,  the  gleam  of  the  lake  by  Caper¬ 
naum  and  Chorazin,  and  many  a  place  loved  by 
Him,  and  vainly  ministered  to,  whose  house  was 
now  left  unto  them  desolate;  and,  chief  of  all, 
far  in  the  utmost  blue,  the  hills  above  Nazareth, 
sloping  down  to  His  old  home:  hills  on  which 
yet  the  stones  lay  loose,  that  had  been  taken 
up  to  cast  at  Him,  when  He  left  them  for¬ 
ever.'’ 

Mount  Hermon  trends  farther  to  the  west  than 
the  main  ridge  of  the  Anti-Lebanon  range.  It  is 
almost  separated  from  it  and  towers  high  above 
it.  Its  elevation  above  the  level  of  the  sea  is 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  143 

9,383  feet.  It  is  buttressed  by  ridges  of  lesser 
elevation,  so  compactly  grouped  around  it  that  it 
seems  to  rise,  as  one  gigantic  mass,  almost 
directly  from  the  plains  or  lower  levels  that  skirt 
its  base.  The  noble  contour  of  its  glittering 
dome  may  be  seen  from  the  lowest  reaches  of 
the  Jordan  valley;  from  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee;  from  the  Huleh  basin;  and  from  almost 
every  elevated  plain,  and  mountain  in  Eastern 
and  Western  Palestine.  As  seen  from  the  south 
Hermon  stands,  with  snowy  summit  reaching  to 
the  clouds,  apparently  at  the  head  of  the  great 
cleft  between  the  mountain  ranges.  From  the 
east  the  view  is  more  comprehensive  and  scarcely 
less  imposing  and  majestic.  As  ordinarily  seen 
by  travellers  to  the  East,  the  lofty  heights  of 
Mount  Hermon  are  covered  with  a  glittering 
mantle  of  ice  and  snow.  On  the  twentieth  of 
March  we  found  snowdrifts  so  deep  as  to  be 
almost  impassable,  on  the  road  to  Damascus  over 
the  shoulder  of  Hermon,  at  an  elevation  of  less 
than  5,000  feet.  The  crystal  streams  which  issue 
from  this  mass  of  slowly-melting  snow  pour  out 
from  the  base  of  the  mountain  from  the  south 
and  west,  going  down  by  the  valleys,  and 
through  each  successive  level  of  the  descending 
course  of  the  Jordan  to  the  deep  basin  of  the 
Dead  Sea.  The  fountain  of  Banias,  the  most 
picturesque  source  of  the  Jordan,  springs  directly 
from  the  southern  base  of  Mount  Hermon. 
There  is  no  place  in  Palestine — and  there  are 
but  few  places  perhaps  in  all  the  world — 


144 


Memorable  Places 


where  so  many  elements  of  grandeur  and 
beauty  are  grouped  together  in  happy  combina¬ 
tion. 

The  prominent  features  of  this  Syrian  Tivoli, — 
as  Dean  Stanley  terms  it — are  a  broad  terrace 
clothed  with  luxurious  vegetation  “all  alive  with 
streams  of  water  and  cascades;”  a  precipitous 
cliff  at  the  mountain’s  foot  something  more  than 
ioo  feet  high;  the  remains  of  ruined  temples; 
and,  at  the  bottom  of  the  cliff,  a  cave  whose 
mouth  is  partly  closed  with  loose  stones  which 
have  fallen  from  the  roof,  or  from  the  summit  of 
the  cliff.  Out  of  this  mass  of  boulders  and 
debris,  and  apparently  from  crevices  between 
the  strata  of  the  rock  alongside,  a  foam-crested 
stream  bursts  forth,  “a  full  born  river,  along  a 
line  of  thirty  feet.”  A  short  distance  from  its 
source  this  flood  of  seething  waters  is  collected 
together  in  a  large  pool,  and  thence  becomes  a 
swift  torrent,  roaring  and  dashing  over  the  rocks, 
and  gliding  amid  dense  thickets  of  oleander,  haw¬ 
thorn  and  cane,  until  it  is  lost  to  view  in  the 
depths  of  a  dark  ravine. 

The  site  of  the  ancient  city  which  grew  up 
around  this  “sanctuary  of  waters”  can  still  be 
traced  by  its  ruins,  most  of  which  belong  to  the 
Roman  period.  Near  the  fountain  Herod  the 
Great  built  a  temple  of  white  marble  in  honor  of 
Augustus.  At  a  later  period  the  city  was  rebuilt 
and  adorned  with  palaces,  temples,  and  villas 
by  Philip  the  Tetrarch,  who  named  it  Caesarea 
Philippi.  The  modern  name  Banias  is  the  equiv- 


I 


SOURCE  OF  THE  JORDAN  AT  BANIAS. 

This  fountain — the  most  picturesque  source  of  the  Jordan — issues  from 
the  southern  base  of  Mt.  Hermon  “  in  the  coasts  of  Caesarea  Philippi  ” 

(Matt.  16:14). 


Among  the  Holy  Mills  145 

alent  of  the  old  Greek  name  Paneas — the  abode 
of  the  sylvan  god  Pan. 

Into  this  restful  region  abounding  in  quiet 
nooks  and  unbroken  solitudes, — the  borderland 
between  Jew  and  Gentile — the  Master  came  with 
His  disciples  for  a  definite  purpose.  The  burden 
of  every  wayside  conversation,  of  every  pro¬ 
phetic  utterance,  of  every  Divine  manifestation  on 
this  eventful  journey  was  the  Decease,  or  Ex¬ 
odus,  which  He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem. 
With  this  thought  pressing  heavily  upon  Him,  as 
the  crisis  drew  near,  Jesus  dismissed  the  multi¬ 
tudes  which  thronged  Him  in  Galilee,  crossed 
over  the  lake  to  the  eastern  side,  and  thence  jour¬ 
neyed  northward  some  thirty  miles  to  the  place 
within  the  coasts  of  Caesarea  Philippi — not  defi¬ 
nitely  mentioned  by  the  evangelists — where  the 
events  preceding  the  Transfiguration  took  place. 
Here,  as  we  have  seen,  Jesus  unfolded  the  nature 
of  His  redemptive  work;  prepared  the  minds  of 
the  disciples  for  the  sore  disappointments  and 
fiery  trials  which  were  awaiting  them;  elicited 
the  brief,  but  all-comprehensive  confession  of 
Simon  Peter;  and  gave  assurance,  in  language  of 
unmistakable  import,  of  the  permanence  and  ulti¬ 
mate  triumph  of  His  Church,  amid  all  its  dangers 
and  over  all  its  adversaries. 

After  these  things  Jesus  took  the  three  chosen 
disciples  and  went  up  into  the  mountain  to  pray; 
“and  as  He  prayed  the  fashion  of  His  counte¬ 
nance  was  altered,  and  His  raiment  was  white 
and  glistening.  And  behold,  there  talked  with 


Memorable  Places 


146 

Him  two  men,  which  were  Moses  and  Elias  who 
appeared  in  glory,  and  spake  of  His  decease 
which  He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem.” 
“He  was  transfigured,”  says  Mark,  “before 
them,  and  His  garments  became  exceeding  white 
as  no  fuller  on  earth  can  white  them.”  “His 
face  did  shine  as  the  sun,”  says  Matthew,  “and 
His  raiment  was  white  as  the  light.”  Here  the 
radiant  form,  the  shining  garments,  the  attend¬ 
ant  representatives  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets 
from  the  unseen  world,  the  bright  overshadow¬ 
ing  cloud,  and  the  voice  out  of  the  cloud — each 
in  turn  testified  of  Him  whom  God  the  Father 
had  sent  into  the  world  to  be  the  propitiation  for 
our  sins.  The  light  which  shone  upon  this  Holy 
Mount — a  light  such  as  “never  was  on  sea 
or  land” — was  a  glimpse  of  the  glory  which 
shineth  evermore  in  the  home-land  of  Jesus, 
where  they  need  no  candle  neither  light  of  the 
sun;  a  foregleam  of  the  glory  which  should  at¬ 
tend  the  Exodus,  not  of  our  Lord  only,  but  of 
all  those  who  have  passed  from  death  unto  life 
through  faith  in  His  name.  Long  after  these 
events  the  Apostle  Peter  makes  use  of  this  moun¬ 
tain  vision  to  inspire  the  hope  and  strengthen  the 
confidence  of  his  fellow-Christians.  “  We  have 
not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,” — he 
writes — “when  we  made  known  unto  you  the 
power  and  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but 
were  eye-witnesses  of  His  Majesty.  For  He  re¬ 
ceived  from  God  the  Father  honor  and  glory, 
when  there  came  such  a  voice  to  Him  from  the 


H7 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

excellent  glory,  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased.  And  this  voice  which  came 
from  Heaven  we  heard,  when  we  were  with 
Him  in  the  holy  mount.” 


XI 


THE  PLACE  OF  “THE  NOBLE  SANCTUARY  ” 

From  the  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  every 
object  in  and  about  Jerusalem  comes  within  the 
range  of  easy  vision  and  stands  out,  as  on  a  re¬ 
lief  map,  with  startling  distinctness.  The  most 
conspicuous  feature  within  the  limits  of  this  pan¬ 
oramic  view  is  the  sacred  enclosure  in  which, 
beyond  all  question,  once  stood  the  successive 
Temples  of  Solomon,  Zerubbabel  and  Herod. 
The  massive  walls  which  surround  it  rise  at  some 
points  to  the  height  of  seventy  and  eighty  feet, 
and  the  space  thus  enclosed  contains  an  area  of 
nearly  thirty-five  acres.  Its  extent  from  north 
to  south  is  more  than  1,500  feet,  or  nearly  one- 
third  of  a  mile.  From  east  to  west  it  measures 
about  1,000  feet.  In  outline  the  enclosure  is  an 
irregular  quadrangle  formed  by  cutting  away 
huge  masses  of  rock  at  some  points,  filling  in 
valleys  and  depressions  at  others,  and  by  build¬ 
ing  up  immense  substructions,  retaining  walls 
and  supporting  vaults  where  the  ground  fell 
away  too  rapidly  to  admit  of  tilling  up  with  loose 
stone  and  rubbish.  Except  the  raised  platform 
in  the  centre,  which  covers  an  area  of  five  acres 
and  is  paved  with  slabs  of  limestone  and  marble, 
the  surface  is  for  the  most  part  an  unincumbered 

148 


THE  MOSQUE  OF  EL  AKSA— TEMPLE  AREA. 


H9 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

greensward  dotted  here  and  there  with  Cyprus 
and  olive-trees.  In  the  early  spring-time  this 
vacant  space  is  covered  with  the  short  native 
grass  which  grows  on  the  hills  around  it  and  is 
spangled  with  wild  flowers  of  rare  delicacy  of 
form  and  richness  of  color. 

Those  who  are  privileged  to  enter  this  secluded 
spot  pass  in  a  moment  from  the  confusion  and 
discomforts  of  the  narrow  streets  and  the  jostling 
crowds  into  a  charming  retreat,  where,  for  the 
nonce,  all  distracting  sights  and  sounds  are  shut 
out,  and  where  amid  the  hush  of  holy  memories 
the  ordinary  cares  of  life  are  all  forgotten. 

This  is  the  one  sacred  place  in  Jerusalem  which 
is  revered  alike  by  Moslems,  Christians  and  Jews. 
In  the  plain,  matter-of-fact  descriptions  of  mod¬ 
ern  writers  and  explorers  it  is  usually  designated 
as  the  “Temple  Area,”  but  throughout  the 
Arabic-speaking  world,  where  poetry  dominates 
in  nomenclature,  as  well  as  in  description  and 
story,  it  is  known  as  the  Haram  esh  Sherif,— the 
Place  of  the  “Noble  Sanctuary.”  Than  this  no 
designation  could  be  more  felicitous  or  appro¬ 
priate.  It  accords  with  all  that  we  know  of  the 
magnificent  structure  which  once  crowned  this 
mountain  height  and  extended  in  terraced  plat¬ 
forms  down  its  sides. 

The  oldest  of  the  buildings  that  now  occupy 
this  sacred  site  is  the  Great  Mosque  of  El  Aksa. 
It  is  directly  south  of  the  raised  platform  and  ex¬ 
tends  to  the  outer  wall  of  the  Haram.  With  its 
associated  buildings  it  covers  a  space  272  feet 


150  Memorable  Places 

long  by  184  wide.  The  original  structure,  which 
like  the  mosque  of  St.  Sophia,  at  Constantinople 
was  once  a  Christian  church,  was  built  by  the 
Emperor  Justinian  in  the  fourth  century.  It  had 
a  grand  nave  supported  by  columns  and  arches 
with  three  aisles  of  corresponding  proportions 
and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  largest  and  finest 
Basilicas  in  Christendom. 

The  Dome  of  the  Rock  (Kubbet  es  Sakhra), 
which  ‘‘next  after  Mecca  is  the  most  sacred,  and 
next  after  Cordova  the  most  beautiful  of  Moslem 
shrines  ”  occupies  the  centre  of  the  raised  plat¬ 
form  ;  around  it  -  are  grouped  several  smaller 
buildings  and  praying  places,  fashioned  in  excel¬ 
lent  taste  and  decorated  with  rich  carvings  in 
wood  and  marble. 

“Taking  it  in  mass  and  detail,”  says  Hep- 
worth  Dixon,  “this  group  on  the  Temple  hill, — 
the  mosques  of  Omar  and  Aksa,  the  domes,  the 
terraces,  the  colonnades,  the  kiosks  and  fountains 
— is  perhaps  the  very  noblest  specimen  of  build¬ 
ing  art  in  Asia.” 

The  lower  portion  of  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  is 
a  regular  octagon,  the  side  being  sixty-seven 
feet.  The  central  or  raised  portion  which  rests 
upon  the  octagon  is  circular  and  over  this  rises 
an  exquisitely  poised  and  proportioned  dome 
surmounted  by  a  gilt  crescent.  The  circlet  be¬ 
low  the  dome  and  the  upper  portion  of  the  octa¬ 
gon  are  overlaid  with  oriental  tiles  in  delicately 
tinted  colors,  bordered  with  Arabesque  ornaments 
and  Arabic  inscriptions.  The  lower  or  basement 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  15 1 

portion  of  the  octagon  is  cased  with  slabs  of 
rich  variegated  marble.  The  height  of  the  build¬ 
ing,  including  the  marble  platform  upon  which 
it  rests,  is  170  feet. 

The  interior  is  admirably  proportioned,  the 
diameter  being  150  feet.  It  is  richly  decorated 
with  costly  marbles,  inlaid  tiles  and  gilded  mo¬ 
saics.  Interwoven  with  these  are  Arabic  inscrip¬ 
tions  in  gilt  from  the  Koran.  Indications  of 
mosaic  work  outside  the  building  have  also  been 
found  in  places;  and  it  is  possible — as  some  of 
the  early  writers  assert — that  the  upper  portion 
of  the  octagon  was  originally  adorned  with  mo¬ 
saics  on  the  outside,  as  well  as  in  the  interior. 

The  windows  of  stained  glass  in  and  above 
the  octagon  are  unequalled  for  beauty  of  pattern 
and  intense,  glowing  colors,  unless  it  be  by  the 
famous  windows,  which  modern  art  cannot  re¬ 
produce,  in  some  of  the  mosques  in  Constan¬ 
tinople. 

Four  great  doors, — one  at  each  cardinal  point 
of  the  compass — open  into  an  encircling  corridor, 
thirteen  feet  wide.  This  corridor,  or  octagonal 
isle,  is  separated  from  an  inner  aisle  of  similar 
character,  thirty  feet  in  width,  by  a  screen  con¬ 
sisting  of  eight  piers  and  sixteen  columns  of 
marble  and  granite. 

The  Sakhra,  or  sacred  rock,  which  rises  four 
feet  nine  and  a  half  inches  above  the  marble 
floor,  at  its  highest  point,  occupies  the  centre  of 
the  building,  directly  under  the  great  dome.  It 
is  encircled  by  an  inner  course,  or  screen,  con- 


Memorable  Places 


ip 

sisting  of  four  massive  piers  and  twelve  columns. 
The  arches  which  rest  upon  these  piers  support 
the  dome.  If  the  platform  upon  which  the  en¬ 
tire  structure  rests  were  removed  the  rock  would 
stand  fifteen  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Temple 
area.  As  it  now  appears  it  is  a  mass  or  ledge  of 
rough  gray  limestone  fifty-seven  feet  long  and 
forty-three  feet  wide.  A  canopy  of  gracefully 
disposed  crimson  silk  overhangs  it,  and  an  iron 
railing  surmounted  by  arrow-heads  guards  it 
from  profane  handling. 

Whatever  may  be  said  with  respect  to  its  po¬ 
sition  within  the  Temple,  or  its  courts,  the  Sa- 
khra  is  unquestionably  the  summit  or  central 
peak  of  Mount  Moriah. 

Under  an  archway  at  the  southeast  side  of  the 
rock  a  flight  of  eleven  steps  leads  down  to  an  ar¬ 
tificial  cave  which  has  a  superficial  area  of  about 
600  feet. 

Its  average  height  is  six  or  seven  feet.  In  its 
original  condition  it  was  a  rock-hewn  chamber, 
or  cistern,  whose  only  opening  was  through  a 
hole,  now  utilized  as  a  window,  in  the  over¬ 
arching  roof.  A  circular  slab  in  the  floor  covers 
the  entrance  to  a  shaft  or  lower  chamber,  which 
the  Moslems  call  the  “Well  of  Souls.”  The  ex¬ 
istence  of  this  hollow  space  can  readily  be  ascer¬ 
tained  by  tapping  upon  the  stone,  but  the  cus¬ 
todians  of  the  Sacred  Rock  have  long  and  per¬ 
sistently  refused  to  permit  the  removal  of  the 
slab,  with  a  view  to  an  examination  of  the  cavity 
or  its  connections.  No  light  has  been  thrown 


THE  DOME  OF  THE  ROCK  AND  ITS  ASSOCIATED  BUILDINGS. 

Platform  of  the  Temple  Area. 


l5  3 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

upon  this  mysterious  passageway  to  lower 
depths  in  the  rock  by  Christian  writers  during 
the  period  of  its  occupancy  by  the  Crusaders, 
and  up  to  this  date  the  Moslem  spirits,  which  are 
said  to  inhabit  it,  have  kept  the  secret  of  its  orig¬ 
inal  purpose  and  connections  to  themselves.  It 
is  asserted  in  the  Rabbinical  writings  that  the 
blood  and  refuse  of  the  daily  sacrifices  within 
the  Temple  court  were  carried  off  by  an  under¬ 
ground  channel  to  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  and  it  is 
possible  that  this  basin  in  the  rock,  which  could 
easily  be  flushed  with  the  abundant  water  supply 
of  the  Temple,  was  connected  with  shafts  and 
conduits  leading  down  under  the  bed  of  the 
Tyropoean  Valley  to  the  place  of  burning  in  the 
great  valley  below. 

However  this  may  be  it  is  certain  that  covered 
drains  leading  in  this  direction  were  constructed 
at  an  early  period,  the  remains  of  which  have 
been  found  beneath  the  triple  gate  and  under  a 
paved  road  down  the  Tyropoean  Valley.  In  the 
former  case,  at  least  the  obvious  purpose  was  to 
carry  off  the  wastage  and  overflow  from  the 
water  supply  of  the  Temple  area. 

Between  the  dome  of  the  rock  and  the  mosque 
of  HI  Aksa  the  underlying  rock  is  literally  honey¬ 
combed  with  cisterns  and  reservoirs  of  much 
more  than  ordinary  capacity.  These  rock-hewn 
tanks,  numbering  more  than  thirty  in  the  survey 
chart,  were  connected  together  by  channels  and 
conduits  and  it  is  estimated  that  the  total  storage 
capacity  of  the  series  was  about  12,000,000  gal- 


*54 


Memorable  Places 


Ions.  One  of  these  reservoirs,  known  as  the 
“  Great  Sea,’’  has  a  capacity  of  2,000,000  gallons. 
The  principal  source  of  the  water  supply  for  the 
Temple  and  its  courts  was  the  Pools  of  Solomon 
fed  by  the  clear,  sparkling  water  which  for  cen¬ 
turies  has  flowed  continuously  from  the  “Sealed 
Fountain,”  a  few  rods  from  the  upper  pool. 
This  never-failing  spring  is  nine  miles  south  of 
Jerusalem,  but  the  course  followed  by  the  aque¬ 
duct  was  about  fourteen  miles.  The  high  level 
aqueduct  tapped  a  source  of  supply  farther  to  the 
south.  The  main  object  of  its  construction  seems 
to  have  been  the  supply  of  the  upper  city  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Tyropoean  Valley. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  in  this  connection  that 
the  Turkish  government  has  recently  constructed 
a  pipe  line,  connecting  with  the  low  level  aque¬ 
duct  at  Bethlehem,  which  now  brings  water 
from  the  “Sealed  Fountain”  above  Solomon's 
Pools  to  the  Temple  area. 

To  the  extent  of  its  capacity, — which  is  very 
limited  in  comparison  with  the  ancient  aqueduct, 
—Jerusalem  is  once  more  supplied  with  pure 
water  from  the  mountains  as  in  the  days  of  Sol¬ 
omon  and  Herod. 

The  inauguration  ceremony  in  honor  of  this 
event  took  place  on  the  27th  of  November,  1901, 
when  the  water  was  turned  on  from  the  main 
pipe  in  the  Haram  esh-Sherif  in  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  the  Governor  and  other  distinguished 
guests. 

The  walls  which  enclose  the  “  Place  of  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  155 

Noble  Sanctuary”  represent  the  work  of  many 
distinct  periods  in  the  long  and  eventful  history 
of  the  Holy  City.  At  several  points  in  the  upper 
courses,  and  especially  along  the  line  of  the  north 
wall  there  are  unmistakable  indications  of  modern 
constructions  from  materials  which  had  been 
used  by  former  builders.  Amid  these  changes 
and  reconstructions  there  are  abundant  evidences, 
however,  all  along  the  line  of  the  Haram  wall,  of 
the  engineering  skill  and  solid  workmanship  of 
the  builders  of  the  Herodian  age.  Back  of  this 
also,  but  not  so  easily  accessible,  are  the  courses 
of  great  stones,  such  as  Warren  found,  nearly 
a  hundred  feet  below  the  ground,  with  the 
marking  of  red  paint  which  the  Phoenician  stone 
squarers  had  put  upon  them  when  they  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  great  enclosing  wall  in  the 
days  of  Solomon.  These  indications  of  ancient 
workmanship  have  been  found  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  Haram,  where  there  is  an  accumu¬ 
lation  of  debris  of  125  feet;  and  at  the  southeast 
corner  where  the  accumulation  exceeds  eighty 
feet.  At  the  latter  point,  therefore,  the  wall,  if 
cleared  to  its  lowest  course,  would  be  over  150 
feet  in  height,  while  at  the  former  it  would  be 
still  higher. 

In  the  lower  courses  of  the  east,  south  and 
west  walls  several  of  the  stones  exceed  twenty  feet 
in  length,  and  are  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  depth. 
Near  the  southeast  corner  there  is  a  single  stone 
twenty-six  feet  in  length,  whose  estimated 
weight  is  over  one  hundred  tons:  another  in  the 


Memorable  Places 


156 

south  wall  measures  thirty-eight  feet  nine  inches 
in  length. 

“By  the  repeated  sinking  of  shafts  on  the 
sloping  face  of  Qphel,”  says  Dr.  Tristram,  “  it  is 
established  that  the  south  wall  is  buried  more 
than  half  its  depth  beneath  an  accumulation  of 
rubbish,  and  that,  if  bared  to  its  foundation,  this 
wall  would  present  an  unbroken  front  of  ma¬ 
sonry,  of  nearly  1,000  feet  long  and  150  feet  in 
height.  The  wall,  as  it  now  stands,  with  less 
than  half  that  height  emerging  from  the  ground, 
has  always  been  regarded  as  a  marvel.  What 
must  it  have  been  when  entirely  exposed  to 
view,  and  the  tall  erections  of  the  Temple  tower¬ 
ing  over  it.” 

Of  the  Roman  period  the  most  notable  remains 
are  the  scarped  rock-wall  and  rock-hewn  trench 
connected  with  the  Tower  of  Antonia,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Haram;  the  Double,  or  Huldah 
gate  in  the  south  wall,  with  its  inner  vestibule 
and  the  vaulted  passageway  leading  up  to  the 
cloisters  of  the  Temple  court:  the  conduit  which 
supplied  the  Temple  with  water — a  probable  rep¬ 
aration  of  the  older  water  course  in  use  during 
the  period  of  the  first  temple; — the  fragmentary 
remains  of  arches  springing  from  the  west  wall, 
— known  as  Robinson’s  and  Wilson’s  arches, — 
representing  two  noble  viaducts  which  spanned 
the  Tyropoean  Valley;  and  the  several  gateways 
and  vaulted  passages  which  lead  up  from  this  side 
to  the  western  cloisters  of  the  Temple.  There  is 
a  difference  of  opinion  with  respect  to  the  antiq- 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  157 

uity  of  the  Golden  Gate  in  the  east  wall,  but  the 
best  authorities  regard  it  as  an  addition  of  the 
later  Roman  period.  A  line  drawn  directly  west 
from  this  gate,  or  a  point  a  little  north  of  it, 
would  probably  mark  the  northern  limit  of  the 
extension  of  the  court  of  Herod’s  Temple.  Be¬ 
yond  this,  on  the  west  side,  there  was  a  valley 
formerly  about  thirty  feet  deep,  which  was 
partially  filled  up  by  Pompey  when  he  assaulted 
the  defenses  of  the  Temple,  in  the  year  65  b.  c. 

The  stronghold  of  Antonia,  which  towered 
high  above  the  enclosing  wall  and  dominated  the 
Temple  courts,  was  built  upon  a  ledge  of  native 
rock  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Haram. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  within  the  limits  of 
the  Haram  walls,  as  they  now  stand,  there  is  not 
a  trace  or  fragment,  either  of  outline  or  struct¬ 
ure  of  the  Temple  or  its  courts,  except  the 
Sakhra  under  the  Dome  of  the  Rock,  and  the 
small  boundary  stone,  found  by  M.  Ganneau, 
upon  which  may  still  be  read  the  inscription  in 
large  Greek  characters,  which  warned  the  uncir¬ 
cumcised  stranger  not  to  pass  the  limits  of  the 
Gentile  Court. 

The  great  walls  which  remain  to-day  are  only 
the  walls  of  the  Temple  Area.  They  enclosed 
the  Sanctuary,  but  they  did  not  form  a  part  of  it. 
Of  this  great  structure,  to  its  outmost  bound  of 
court  and  cloister,  it  is  literally  true,  as  our  Lord 
predicted,  that  “  there  has  not  been  left  here  one 
stone  upon  another,  that  has  not  been  thrown 
down”  (Matt.  24:  2).  Because  of  this  total  de- 


Memorable  Places 


158 

struction  the  exact  site  of  the  Holy  House  and  the 
Great  Altar  which  stood  in  front  of  it  is  still  a 
matter  of  uncertainty  and  of  earnest  discussion. 
It  should  be  noted  also  that  the  entrances,  to 
which  reference  has  been  made,  were  subter¬ 
ranean  passages  leading  up  to  the  real  gates  of 
the  Temple  on  higher  levels,  within  the  great 
enclosing  wall. 

The  general  plan  of  the  second  Temple,  as  re¬ 
constructed  by  Herod  the  Great,  corresponded 
exactly  with  the  original  Temple  of  Solomon, 
with  the  exception  of  the  enlargement  outside 
the  consecrated  limits  of  the  “  Mountain  of  the 
House.”  This  enlargement,  upon  which  Herod 
expended  vast  sums  of  money  in  order,  if  pos¬ 
sible,  to  rival  the  glory  of  the  Sanctuary,  from 
which  he  himself  was  excluded  by  the  “law  of 
the  House,”  was  known  as  the  Outer  or  Gentile 
Court.  This  court,  or  lower  platform,  according 
to  the  estimate  of  Sir  Charles  Warren,  was  900 
feet  in  length  on  each  side.  Its  breadth  on  the 
north  side  was  140  feet;  on  the  east  180  feet;  on 
the  south  460  feet.  On  the  west  side  the  breadth 
cannot  be  given  with  certainty,  inasmuch  as  the 
exact  position  of  the  altar  of  sacrifice  is  not 
definitely  known.  It  may  have  been  one  hun¬ 
dred  feet;  or  its  outer  limit  may  have  been  very 
near  to  the  great  enclosing  (Haram)  wall. 

Next  the  outer  wall  on  each  side  were  cloisters 
or  colonnades  in  double  rows.  The  one  on  the 
east  side  was  known  as  Solomon’s  Porch  in  the 
time  of  Christ.  It  had  two  aisles  bordered  by 


159 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

majestic  columns  of  white  marble  and  its  pave¬ 
ment  was  a  rare  mosaic  of  costly  stones.  Be¬ 
low  it  was  the  Kidron  Valley  and  over  against  it 
was  the  western  slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

On  the  south  side  of  this  noble  platform, 
which,  as  Josephus  assures  us,  enlarged  the  area 
of  the  Temple  to  twice  its  former  extent,  was 
the  Stoa  Basilica,  or  Royal  Porch,  which  greatly 
surpassed  all  the  other  cloisters  in  extent  and 
beauty,  and  was  regarded  as  the  chief  glory  of 
the  Outer  Court.  It  was  105  feet  in  breadth  and 
was  divided  into  three  spacious  arcades.  The 
one  in  the  centre  was  one  hundred  feet  in  height 
and  forty-five  in  breadth;  the  side  arcades  being 
fifty  feet  in  height  and  thirty  in  breadth.  “  This 
cloister  alone,’’  says  Professor  Henderson,  “  was 
greater  than  York  Minister  or  Westminster 
Abbey.  The  bridge  which  crossed  the  Tyro- 
poean  at  Robinson’s  arch  ran  straight  with  the 
central  colonnade.  At  the  southeast  corner  the 
roof  of  the  cloister  was  326  feet  above  the  bed  of 
the  Kidron.  The  height  of  the  pinnacle,  which  is 
said  to  have  risen  at  that  corner  is  unknown; 
whatever  it  was,  it  must  be  added  to  that  giddy 
height  of  326  feet.”  The  pillars  of  this  portico, 
which  like  all  the  rest  were  solid  marble  of 
dazzling  whiteness,  numbered  162  and  were  each 
sixty  feet  in  height.  The  floor  like  Solomon’s 
Porch  was  paved  with  inlaid  stones  and  the  roofs 
covering  the  colonnades  were  of  cedar  from  the 
forests  of  Lebanon. 

The  inner  side  of  the  Gentile  Court  was  sur- 


i6o  Memorable  Places 

rounded  by  a  stone  balustrade  of  elegant  con¬ 
struction,  five  feet  in  height,  which  fenced  off  the 
Sacred  Enclosure  of  the  Israelites  from  the  out¬ 
side  world.  “Upon  this  wall,”  says  Josephus, 
“stood  pillars,  at  equal  distances  from  one  an¬ 
other,  declaring  the  law  of  purity,  some  in  Greek, 
and  some  in  Roman  letters:  *  That  no  foreigner 
should  go  within  that  Sanctuary.’  ”  The  tablet 
or  inscribed  stone,  found  by  M.  Ganneau  was 
one  of  these  notices,  and,  as  already  intimated,  it 
is  the  only  authentic  relic  of  the  Temple  itself 
which  has  yet  been  discovered. 

This  wall  of  partition  between  Gentile  and  Jew 
was  called  the  Soreg.  The  several  courts  and 
buildings  within  it,  rising  to  the  very  summit  of 
the  mountain,  were  known,  collectively,  as  the 
“ Mountain  of  the  House."  It  was  500  cubits — 
or  about  750  feet — square.  The  outer  court  of  this 
sacred  enclosure  was  called  the  Chel.  It  was  a 
large,  open  space,  apparently  the  same  width  on 
each  side,  with  five  entrance  gates.  In  front  of 
each  gate  was  a  flight  of  fourteen  steps  leading 
up  from  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles.  On  the  inner 
side  of  the  Chel,  or  terrace,  rose  a  massive  wall 
sixty  feet  or  more  in  height.  Every  avenue  of 
approach  to  this  wall  was  strongly  fortified,  and 
its  gateways,  nine  in  number,  were  of  great 
height  and  strength  and,  according  to  Josephus, 
“  were  covered  over  with  gold  and  silver,  as  were 
the  jambs  of  their  doors  and  lintels.”  This  struc¬ 
ture  as  a  whole  was  “  a  mighty  citadel  within  a 
citadel.”  The  open  spaces  or  courts  within  this 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  161 

enclosure  were  on  different  levels  in  an  ascending 
series,  and  were  bordered  on  the  outer  sides  by 
storerooms  or  cloisters;  collectively  they  were 
known  as  the  Inner  Court .  The  first  platform 
above  the  Outer  Court,  or  Chel,  was  designated 
as  “The  Court  of  the  Women.”  This  was  on 
the  east  side  of  the  sacred  enclosure.  It  was 
reached  by  a  flight  of  twelve  steps  and  was 
eight  feet  higher  than  the  Chel.  This  court  was 
an  open  space  nearly  300  feet  square,  flanked  on 
its  north  and  south  sides  by  large  store  chambers. 
Three  large  gateways,  included  in  the  number 
already  mentioned,  opened  into  it  from  the  out¬ 
side:  one  being  in  the  north,  another  in  the 
south  and  the  third  in  the  east.  The  eastern  gate 
was  one  of  the  largest  and  most  magnificent 
entrances  to  the  Temple  or  its  courts.  It  was  on 
a  line  with  the  eastern  gates  of  the  Soreg,  and 
occupied  a  commanding  position  in  the  forefront 
of  the  great  Sanctuary.  Its  probable  identifica¬ 
tion  with  the  “Beautiful  Gate”  (Acts  3:2)  is 
generally  conceded  by  those  who  have  made  a 
careful  study  of  the  descriptions  of  the  Temple, 
as  it  appeared  in  the  time  of  our  Lord.  It  was 
made  of  fine  Corinthian  brass,  and  it  is  said  that 
it  required  the  strength  of  twenty  men  to  open 
and  close  its  doors.  Josephus  tells  us  that  this 
portal,  which  was  fifty  cubits  in  height,  was 
adorned  after  a  most  costly  manner.  It  also  had 
richer  and  thicker  plates  of  silver  and  gold  upon 
its  doors  than  the  others. 

Directly  west  of  the  Court  of  the  Women,  and 


ibi 


Memorable  Places 


on  a  level  ten  feet  above  it,  was  the  Court  of 
Israel.  An  ascent  of  fifteen  semicircular  steps  led 
up  to  this  platform,  the  entrance  to  which  was 
through  the  great  Nicanor  Gate. 

Still  farther  to  the  west  was  the  Court  of  the 
Priests  on  a  level  three  feet  higher.  Beyond 
this,  and  on  a  platform  eight  feet  above  it  was 
the  Holy  House  or  Temple  proper.  In  its 
ground  plan  it  was  an  exact  representation  of  the 
Tabernacle,  but  was  double  its  dimensions.  In 
front  of  it  was  a  grand  portal  or  arch,  which 
seems  to  have  resembled  an  Egyptian  pylon.  It 
extended  thirty  feet  beyond  the  main  building 
on  each  side  and  rose  to  the  height  of  ioo  cubits. 
Its  front  was  covered  with  gold,  “and  over  the 
entrance  was  spread  out  a  golden  vine,  with  its 
branches  hanging  down  from  a  great  height,  the 
largeness  and  fine  workmanship  of  which  was  a 
surprising  sight”  (Antiq.  xv,  ii,  3). 

Much  controversy  has  arisen  over  the  exact 
position  of  the  Holy  House  and  the  possibilities 
of  every  available  spot  within  the  limits  of  the 
Haram  walls  have  been  earnestly  discussed  and 
rigorously  tested.  The  determination  of  the  con¬ 
tour  of  the  mountain  by  sinking  shafts  down  to 
the  rock,  all  over  the  area  has  made  it  certain, 
however,  that  the  available  space  for  such  a 
building  was  originally  very  limited.  Sir  Charles 
Warren,  who  is  probably  the  best  authority  on 
the  natural  features  of  the  Temple  Hill,  reached 
the  conclusion,  from  a  careful  comparison  of  the 
rock  levels,  that  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  covers  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  163 

crest  of  the  ridge  upon  which  the  Sanctuary  of 
both  Temples  was  built. 

“I  have  to  submit,”  he  says,  “  that  where  the 
sides  are  as  one  in  two  or  three,  when  the  ground 
slopes  very  nearly  in  the  same  degree  as  does  the 
rock  of  Gibraltar  to  the  west,  it  seems  incredible 
that  the  Temple,  a  building  which  was  so  con¬ 
spicuous,  and  which  was  to  perform  such  an  im¬ 
portant  part  in  the  fortifications  of  the  city, 
should  have  been  placed  down  in  a  hole,  or  even 
along  the  sides  of  the  hill,  or  anywhere  else  ex¬ 
cept  on  the  ridge,  where  there  is  just  enough 
room  for  it  to  have  stood,  for  it  is  somewhat 
flattened  on  the  top. 

“Supposing  the  Temple,  then,  to  have  been 
built  on  the  ridge,  we  must  give  up  all  idea  of 
its  having  stood  at  the  southwest  or  northwest 
angles,  for  there  are  the  beds  of  the  Tyropean 
and  another  valley.  It  could  not  have  stood  at 
the  northwest  angle,  because  Josephus  tells  us 
that  at  the  north  of  the  Temple  was  a  valley  which 
Pompey  in  his  attack  was  obliged  to  fill  partially 
in;  and  the  only  valley  which  exists  about  there 
is  that  which  the  northern  end  of  the  platform  of 
the  Dome  of  the  Rock  overlooks.” 

This  conclusion  harmonizes  with  the  descrip¬ 
tions  given  in  the  Mishna,  the  works  of  Josephus, 
and  in  the  scriptures. 

“The  Temple,”  says  Josephus,  “was  seated 
on  a  strong  hill.  Originally  the  level  space  on  its 
summit  scarcely  sufficed  for  the  Sanctuary  and 
the  altar,  the  ground  about  being  abrupt  and 


Memorable  Places 


164 

steep;  but  Solomon,  who  built  the  Sanctuary, 
having  completely  walled  up  the  eastern  side,  a 
colonnade  was  built  upon  the  embankment;  on 
the  other  side  the  Sanctuary  remained  exposed. 
In  process  of  time,  however,  as  people  were  con¬ 
stantly  adding  to  the  embankment,  the  hill  be¬ 
came  level  and  broader. 

“  They  also  threw  down  the  northern  wall,  and 
enclosed  as  much  ground  as  the  circuit  of  the 
Temple  at  large  subsequently  occupied.  After 
having  surrounded  the  hill  from  the  base  with  a 
triple  wall,  and  accomplished  a  work  which  sur¬ 
passed  all  expectations,  they  built  the  upper 
boundary  walls  and  the  lower  court  of  the 
Temple. 

“The  lowest  part  of  the  latter  they  built  up 
from  a  depth  of  300  cubits,  and  in  some  places 
more  ”  (Wars  v,  5,  1). 

“This,”  says  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  “is  the  law 
of  the  House.  Upon  the  top  (rosh)  of  the  moun¬ 
tain,  the  whole  limit  thereof  round  about  shall  be 
most  holy.” 

Here  the  phrase  “the  whole  limit  round  about 
the  top  ”  exactly  accords  with  the  description  of 
Josephus,  and  indicates  a  definite  spot  as  the 
centre  of  the  entire  structure.  If  this  central  spot 
were  the  summit  of  the  mountain  it  is  to  be 
found  under  the  swelling  dome  which  covers  the 
Sakhra,  and  nowhere  else  within  the  limits  of 
the  Haram  area.  This  is  to-day,  as  it  always  has 
been  in  the  past,  the  top  (rosh)  of  the  Holy 
Mountain:  and  here,  as  all  the  ancient  writers  af- 


SOUTH  WALL  OF  THE  TEMPLE  AREA. 

The  King’s  Dale  and  the  terraced  hillsides  which  border  it  are  conspicuous'  features 

in  the  foreground. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  165 

firm,  the  first  and  highest  platform  was  prepared 
for  the  Temple  and  the  Altar  of  Sacrifice. 

While  this  location  is  generally  accepted  by 
modern  authorities  there  still  remains  a  difficulty 
with  respect  to  the  position  of  the  Sakhra  within 
this  limit. 

Apparently  there  are  only  two  places  where 
such  a  mass  of  bare  rock  could  have  been  dis¬ 
posed  of  without  marring  the  symmetry  of  the 
Court,  or  interfering  with  the  ground  plan  of  the 
buildings  which  rested  upon  it. 

One  was  in  the  Court  of  the  Priests,  where  it 
might  have  been  the  foundation  upon  which  the 
Altar  of  Sacrifice  was  placed;  and  the  other  was 
in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  where  all  of  its  huge  bulk 
except  the  summit,  or  crown,  might  have  been 
covered  by  the  floor  of  the  Temple. 

The  advocates  of  the  first  position  claim  that 
all  the  conditions  and  incidental  notices  which 
appear  in  the  scriptural  account  of  the  selec¬ 
tion  of  the  Temple  site,  are  here  met  and  satis¬ 
fied.  This  account  in  its  most  complete  form  is 
given  in  the  21st  chapter  of  the  first  book  of 
Chronicles,  and  may  be  briefly  summarized  as 
follows:  — 

“And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  the 
threshing-floor  of  Oman  (Araunah)  the  Jebusite. 
And  David  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  stand  between  the  earth  and  the 
heaven,  having  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand 
stretched  out  over  Jerusalem.  Then  David  and 
the  elders  of  Israel,  who  were  clothed  in  sack- 


i66 


Memorable  Places 


cloth,  fell  upon  their  faces.  .  .  .  Then  the 

angel  of  the  Lord  commanded  Gad  to  say  to 
David,  that  David  should  go  up,  and  set  up  an 
altar  unto  the  Lord  in  the  threshing-floor  of  Oman 
the  Jebusite.  And  David  went  up  at  the  saying 
of  Gad,  which  he  spake  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
And  Oman  turned  back,  and  saw  the  angel;  and 
his  four  sons  with  him  hid  themselves.  Now 
Oman  was  threshing  wheat.  And  as  David  came 
to  Oman,  Oman  looked  and  saw  David,  and 
went  out  of  the  threshing-floor,  and  bowed  him¬ 
self  to  David  with  his  face  to  the  ground.”  Fol¬ 
lowing  this  is  the  account  of  the  purchase  of  the 
place  of  this  threshing-floor  for  which  David 
gave  Oman  six  hundred  shekels  of  gold  by 
weight.  “  And  David  built  there  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord,  and  offered  burnt  offerings  and  peace  of¬ 
ferings,  and  called  upon  the  Lord;  and  He  an¬ 
swered  him  from  Heaven  by  fire  upon  the  altar 
of  burnt  offering.” 

While  David  was  forbidden  to  build  a  house 
for  the  Lord  in  this  place  he  gave  to  his  son,  Sol¬ 
omon,  a  solemn  charge  concerning  it.  In  the 
subsequent  history  we  are  told  that  Solomon 
gave  heed  to  this  charge  and  carried  out  every 
detail  with  respect  to  the  place  and  the  plan  of 
the  building,  as  David  had  instructed  him. 

“Then  Solomon  began  to  build  the  house  of 
the  Lord  at  Jerusalem  in  Mount  Moriah,  where 
the  Lord  appeared  to  David  his  father,  in  the 
place  that  David  had  prepared  in  the  threshing- 
floor  of  Oman  the  Jebusite.  And  he  began  to 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  167 

build  in  the  second  day  of  the  second  month,  in 
the  fourth  year  of  his  reign.” 

The  minute  description  of  the  “  place  of  the 
Altar  ”  in  this  narrative  seems  to  accord  with  all 
the  topographical  features  of  the  site  which  is 
now  covered  by  the  dome  of  the  rock. 

On  the  assumption  that  the  standing  place  of 
the  angel,  “between  the  earth  and  the  heaven,” 
was  the  top  of  the  Sakhra  every  detail  concerning 
the  selection  of  the  site,  it  is  alleged,  is  made  clear. 

Beside  the  great  stone  was  the  threshing-floor, 
which  would,  of  necessity,  be  upon  the  highest 
level  space,  available  for  such  a  site,  upon  the 
ridge  of  the  mountain.  On  this  platform,  or  on 
a  small  space  above  it  levelled  up  around  the 
summit  of  the  rock,  was  the  winnowing  place 
for  the  grain.  The  hiding-place  of  Araunah 
and  his  sons,  from  which  he  came  forth  as  David 
drew  near  was  the  cave  at  the  southeastern  end 
of  the  rock;  and  the  original  purpose  of  this  ex¬ 
cavation,  with  its  open  mouth  at  the  top,  was  for 
the  storage  of  the  newly-threshed  grain.  This 
would  be  in  accord  with  the  usual  custom  of  the 
country,  where  grain  is  frequently  hidden,  or 
stored  in  dry  rock  chambers,  near  the  threshing- 
floors. 

On  the  Sakhra  itself  there  are  indications  that 
a  framework  of  some  sort  has  been  fitted  around 
it,  and  this  is  a  confirmation  of  the  supposition 
that  its  sides  were  covered  with  plates  of  bronze, 
and  its  summit  was  made,  in  accordance  with 
Divine  direction,  the  resting-place  of  the  great 


i68 


Memorable  Places 


altar  of  burnt  offering.  The  elevation  of  the 
altar  which  was  reached  by  a  graded  ascent  from 
the  pavement  of  the  court  is  regarded  as  a  fur¬ 
ther  confirmation  of  this  supposition.  Baedeker, 
who  is  usually  very  cautious  in  accepting  theories 
which  are  not  supported  by  positive  proofs,  says, 
in  his  description  of  the  Sakhra,  “  The  probabil¬ 
ity  is  that  the  great  sacrificial  altar  stood  here, 
and  traces  of  a  channel  for  carrying  off  the  blood 
have  been  discovered  on  the  rock.”  To  this  may 
be  added  the  testimony  of  Sir  Charles  Wilson  of 
the  Ordnance  Survey,  who  affirms  that  “the 
surface  of  the  rock  bears  the  marks  of  hard  treat¬ 
ment  and  rough  chiselling.  On  the  western  side 
it  is  cut  down  to  three  steps,  and  on  the  north 
side  in  an  irregular  shape,  the  object  of  which 
cannot  now  be  discovered.”  “  It  is  possible  also,” 
says  Canon  Tristram,  “that  this  cave  was  the  re¬ 
ceptacle  for  the  offal  of  the  sacrifice  and  con¬ 
nected  with  the  water  supply  which  was  so  ar¬ 
ranged  as  to  carry  off  all  the  refuse  of  the  daily 
sacrifices  without  its  being  seen;  this  we  learn 
from  the  rabbinical  authorities.” 

The  true  value  of  these  conjectures  and  sug¬ 
gestions  can  only  be  determined  when  permis¬ 
sion  shall  be  given  to  remove  the  stone  which 
covers  the  mouth  of  the  mysterious  cavity  under 
the  rock-cut  cave;  and  also  to  examine  more 
carefully  the  contour  of  the  shelving  ridge  which 
lies  under  the  floor  of  the  Dome  of  the  Rock. 
Until  then  no  positive  confirmation  of  the  sup¬ 
position  in  question  can  be  expected. 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  169 

The  alternative  supposition,  that  the  Sakhra 
occupied  a  position  under  the  floor  of  the  Temple, 
except  a  few  inches  of  its  upper  surface  which 
rose  above  the  pavement  of  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
has  a  number  of  able  supporters.  It  is  based 
mainly  upon  careful  measurements  and  compari¬ 
sons  of  rock  levels,  and  also  upon  certain  state¬ 
ments  made  in  the  Talmud  which  give  color  to 
the  suggestion  that  the  sacred  rock  of  the  Mos¬ 
lems  is  identical  with  “the  Sheteyah,”  or  rock 
of  foundation  upon  which  the  Ark  of  the  Cove¬ 
nant  was  placed.  The  bearing  of  these  state¬ 
ments  upon  the  question  in  hand  is  briefly 
summed  up  by  Dr.  Chaplin  as  follows: 

“On  the  whole  it  is  difficult  to  come  to  any 
other  conclusion  than  that  the  stone  which  the 
Rabbis  write  about  was  a  portion  of  the  rock 
projecting  three  finger-breadths  upward  from 
the  floor  of  the  Holy  of  Holies,  covering  a  cavity 
which  was  regarded  as  the  mouth  of  the  abyss, 
reverenced  as  the  centre  and  foundation  of  the 
world,  and  having  the  ineffable  name  of  God  in¬ 
scribed  upon  it.” 

It  is  claimed  by  some  of  the  advocates  of  this 
theory  that  the  Sakhra  was  a  Central  Core  to  the 
Temple,  solid  and  immovable,  “  around  which 
all  the  pavements  and  courts  were  built  up,  and 
to  which  they  were  fastened  and  united  as  one 
solid  mass.”  It  is  evident,  however,  that  this  re¬ 
lation  might  also  exist  on  the  supposition  that 
the  position  of  the  Sakhra  was  in  the  Court  of 
the  Priests;  and  in  this  case  the  Altar,  which  was 


170  Memorable  Places 

located  before  the  House,  would  be  the  core 
around  which  the  mighty  structure  grew.  Indeed 
it  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  of  any  position 
which  this  huge  bulk  of  native  rock  could  occupy 
except  that  of  a  central  foundation  or  core. 

The  axial  line  of  the  temple  and  its  courts 
seems  to  have  been  nearly,  if  not  actually  due 
east,  and  the  “Red  Heifer  Bridge,”  which 
spanned  the  Kidron  Valley,  was  probably  on  the 
same  direct  line.  According  to  the  Mishna  the 
priest  who  sacrificed  the  red  heifer  on  the  sum¬ 
mit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  could  see  through  or 
over  the  eastern  gates  of  the  three  courts  into  the 
place  of  the  Altar,  and  beyond  it  to  the  golden- 
plated  doors  in  the  vestibule  of  the  Holy  House 
itself. 

Along  this  line,  in  all  probability,  was  the  no¬ 
ble  ascent,  so  wonderful  in  the  eyes  of  the  Queen 
of  Sheba,  “by  which  Solomon  went  up  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord.” 

It  was  in  each  of  the  temples  the  most  notable 
of  all  the  approaches  and  naturally  became  the 
Via  Sacra  of  the  religious  processions  during  the 
period  of  the  Sacred  Festivals. 

In  one  of  the  earlier  visions  by  the  river  Chebar 
the  prophet  Ezekiel  saw  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
(the  Shekinah)  come  out  from  its  place  in  the 
Temple  and  pause  for  a  brief  space — as  though 
reluctant  to  depart — over  the  threshold  of  the 
house.  From  thence,  as  he  beheld,  it  slowly 
withdrew  and,  passing  out  by  the  east  gate, 
stood  upon  the  mountain  (Olivet)  which  is  on 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  171 

the  east  side  of  the  city!  This  departure,  as  the 
prophet  intimates,  was  caused  by  the  iniquities 
and  heathen  abominations  which  were  tolerated 
within  the  precincts  of  the  Sanctuary.  In  a  later 
vision,  when  the  hearts  of  the  people  had  turned 
again  to  the  Lord  their  God,  Ezekiel  beheld  the 
reverse  of  the  former  vision.  Then  as  he  looked 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  reappeared  and  “  came  into 
the  house  by  way  of  the  gate,  whose  prospect 
was  towards  the  east,  and  behold  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  filled  the  house.” 

In  the  time  of  our  Lord  the  view  of  the  Temple 
and  its  spacious  courts  from  the  Mount  of  Olives 
must  have  been  singularly  beautiful  and  impress¬ 
ive.  Here  the  whole  structure  could  be  seen  to 
best  advantage  from  the  lowest  range  of  mosaic 
pavement  and  cloistered  court  to  the  “place  of 
the  Altar,”  where  the  smoke  of  the  daily  sacrifice 
ascended  in  front  of  the  Golden  House  which 
crowned  the  mountain  summit.  “  The  Temple,” 
says  Josephus,  “appeared  to  strangers,  when 
they  were  coming  to  it  at  a  distance,  like  a 
mountain  covered  with  snow:  for  as  to  those 
parts  of  it  that  were  not  gilt,  they  were  exceed¬ 
ing  white.  With  respect  to  its  outward  face  the 
temple  wanted  nothing  in  its  front  that  was 
likely  to  surprise  either  men’s  minds  or  their 
eyes:  for  it  was  covered  all  over  with  plates  of 
gold  of  great  weight,  and,  at  the  first  rising  of 
the  sun,  reflected  back  a  fiery  splendor.” 

Taken  as  a  whole,  with  its  triple  walls  and 
embattled  towers,  and  spacious  courts,  its  grand 


172 


Memorable  Places 


portals  and  ascents,  its  galleries  and  store  cham¬ 
bers,  its  colonnades  and  cloisters,  the  Temple 
was  an  immense  structure,  the  like  of  which  for 
beauty  and  costliness  has  probably  never  been 
equalled  on  earth.  As  Milton  puts  it: 

“  The  Holy  City  lifted  high  her  towers 
And  higher  yet  the  glorious  temple  reared 
Her  pile  far  off  appearing  like  a  mount 
Of  alabaster  tipt  with  golden  spires.” 

Scene  follows  scene,  vision  rises  upon  vision 
as  we  attempt  to  recall  the  events  which  have 
taken  place  within  the  limits  of  this  sacred  en¬ 
closure.  In  the  early  dawn  of  the  patriarchal 
period,  when  this  mountain  ridge  was  an  un¬ 
occupied  site  without  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
Abraham,  and  perhaps  Melchizedek  also,  wor¬ 
shipped  the  Most  High  God  by  offering  sacri¬ 
fices  upon  it.  Centuries  pass  away  and,  at 
length,  a  Jebusite  farmer  levels  a  small  space 
upon  this  breezy  height  for  a  threshing  floor,  and 
it  descends  to  his  posterity,  in  accordance  with 
the  custom  of  the  land,  for  a  possession.  By 
this  threshing  floor,  near  the  close  of  David’s 
reign  over  Israel,  the  angel  of  destruction  stood 
in  the  time  of  the  pestilence  with  a  drawn  sword 
in  his  hand  stretched  out  over  Jerusalem.  When 
in  answer  to  the  fervent  prayers  of  David  and  his 
people  the  hand  “of  the  angel  that  destroyed  ” 
was  stayed,  the  deliverance  was  commemorated 
by  the  erection  of  an  altar  of  sacrifice  unto  the 
Lord  upon  the  very  spot  where  the  angel 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  173 

sheathed  his  sword.  “Then  David  said,  this  is 
the  house  of  the  Lord  God,  and  this  is  the  altar 
of  the  burnt  offering  for  Israel”  (1  Chron.  22:  1). 

From  that  eventful  day  until  the  close  of  his 
life  David  was  busied  in  collecting  materials  for 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  which  he  purposed  in  his 
heart  should  be  “exceeding  magnifical  of  fame 
and  glory  throughout  all  countries.”  It  is  esti¬ 
mated  that  the  quantity  of  gold  which  he  ac¬ 
cumulated  for  this  purpose  amounted  to  more 
than  one  hundred  million  dollars:  and  to  this 
were  added  a  thousand  thousand  talents  of  silver. 
Stone  and  timber  he  provided  also  in  abundance, 
and  brass  and  iron  without  weight.  In  the 
fourth  year  of  the  reign  of  Solomon  the  founda¬ 
tions  of  the  House  of  the  Lord  were  laid  in  the 
place  where  the  Lord  appeared  unto  David;  and 
with  scrupulous  fidelity  Solomon  carried  out 
every  detail  of  the  instructions  concerning  it, 
which  had  been  communicated  to  his  father  by 
Divine  revelation. 

For  seven  years  armies  of  workmen,  superin¬ 
tended  by  the  most  skillful  artisans  of  Phoenicia 
and  of  Israel  toiled  upon  the  magnificent  struc¬ 
ture  which  grew  into  beauty  and  symmetry  upon 
this  mountain  from  day  to  day  and  from  year  to 
year,  without  the  sound  “of  hammer  or  axe  or 
any  tool  of  iron.” 

When  at  length  all  the  work  was  completed, 
within  and  without,  Solomon  assembled  the 
elders  of  Israel,  and  the  heads  of  the  tribes,  the 
chief  of  the  fathers  of  the  children  of  Israel  unto 


*74 


Memorable  Places 


Jerusalem  to  take  part  in  the  elaborate  dedication 
ceremonies  of  the  Temple  and  its  courts. 

Then — in  the  language  of  the  sacred  historian, — 
“The  priests  brought  in  the  ark  of  the  covenant 
of  the  Lord  unto  His  place,  to  the  oracle  of  the 
house,  into  the  most  holy  place,  even  under  the 
wings  of  the  cherubims.  .  .  .  And  it  came  to 

pass,  as  the  trumpeters  and  singers  were  as  one, 
to  make  one  sound  to  be  heard  in  praising  and 
thanking  the  Lord:  and  when  they  lifted  up  their 
voice  with  the  trumpets  and  cymbals  and  instru¬ 
ments  of  music,  and  praised  the  Lord,  saying, 
‘For  He  is  good;  for  His  mercy  endureth  for¬ 
ever;'  that  then  the  house  was  filled  with  a 
cloud,  even  the  house  of  the  Lord;  so  that  the 
priests  could  not  stand  to  minister  by  reason  of 
the  cloud;  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  had  filled  the 
house  of  God”  (2  Chron.  5). 

“Also,  at  the  same  time  Solomon  kept  the 
feast  seven  days,  and  all  Israel  with  him,  a  very 
great  congregation,  from  the  entering  in  of 
Hamath  to  the  River  of  Egypt.  And  in  the 
eighth  day  they  made  a  solemn  assembly:  for 
they  kept  the  dedication  of  the  altar  seven  days, 
and  the  feast  seven  days.  And  on  the  three  and 
twentieth  day  of  the  seventh  month  he  sent  the 
people  away  into  their  tents,  glad  and  merry  in 
heart  for  the  goodness  that  the  Lord  had  shewed 
unto  David  and  to  Solomon,  and  to  Israel  his 
people.” 

In  the  centuries  following  there  have  been 
many  joyful  assemblages  here,  in  times  of  special 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  175 

deliverance  or  at  the  great  festival  seasons,  but 
this  first  dedication  festival  was,  without  doubt, 
the  most  national  in  character  and  in  many  re¬ 
spects  the  most  notable  of  all.  Its  stately  rites, 
its  solemn  processions,  its  elaborate  ceremonials, 
its  costly  sacrifices,  its  choral  and  instrumental 
accompaniments  to  the  sacrificial  services,  its 
solemn  prayers;  and,  to  crown  all,  the  visible 
attestation  of  the  Divine  presence  and  favor, — 
mark  this  occasion  as  the  most  memorable  of  its 
kind  in  the  long  history  of  the  Church  of  God. 

In  contrast  with  this  national  revival  of  relig¬ 
ious  fervor  and  loyalty,  which  seemed  to  give 
fair  promise  of  a  better  day  for  the  world,  it  is 
sad  to  recall  the  defections,  the  idolatries,  blas¬ 
phemies,  murders  and  hypocrisies  which  so  soon 
after  dishonored  and  defiled  this  holy  place. 
With  these  came  awful  denunciations  of  sin,  and 
judgments  more  terrible  than  have  ever  been  in¬ 
flicted  upon  any  other  place  or  people.  Words 
would  be  inadequate,  and  time  would  fail,  to 
describe  the  revolutions,  rebellions,  sieges,  fam¬ 
ines,  desolations,  restorations,  and  wholesale 
destructions  which  have  here  occurred;  and  the 
mention  of  them  would  include  a  fragment  of 
the  history  of  almost  every  nation  and  race  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth. 

Within  the  limits  of  these  time-honored, 
battle-stained  Haram  walls  two  of  the  costliest 
buildings  ever  reared  by  human  hands  have 
flamed  heavenward,  as  beacon-lights  of  impend¬ 
ing  doom, — a  magnificent  holocaust,  in  each 


Memorable  Places 


176 

case  of  cedar  and  fir;  of  gold  and  silver;  of 
marble  and  precious  stones — while  hecatombs  of 
human  victims  filled  the  outer  courts  and  every 
foot  of  pavement  and  open  space  around  was 
literally  drenched  in  human  blood. 

If  the  hosts  that  have  fallen  in  deadly  conflict  in 
and  about  the  precincts  of  this  holy  place  could  be 
summed  up  in  order,  from  the  invasion  of  Shishak, 
King  of  Egypt  to  the  recovery  of  Jerusalem  by 
Saladin,  the  number  would  be  so  large  as  to  seem 
almost  incredible.  In  the  vain,  yet  desperately 
heroic  attempts  -that  were  made  to  defend  it 
against  the  successive  attacks  of  the  armies  of 
Egypt,  Assyria,  Babylonia,  Macedonia  and  Syria, 
unnumbered  thousands  yielded  up  their  lives. 
When,  after  a  long  and  desperate  resistance  its 
outer  defenses  were  taken  by  Pompey,  12,000  of 
its  defenders  were  put  to  the  sword;  when  later 
it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Titus  more  than  16,000 
persons  who  had  fled  to  it  as  a  last  refuge,  per¬ 
ished  in  the  flames  or  by  the  sword.  In  that 
awful  hour  “the  place  and  nation”  of  the  cove¬ 
nant  people  “  were  taken  away.” 

Nearly  a  thousand  years  later  in  the  history  of 
the  world,  when  Crusader  and  Saracen  contended, 
in  turn,  for  the  Temple  site,  the  former  scenes  of 
horror  and  destruction  were  reenacted.  The  cap¬ 
ture  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Crusaders  on  the  15th  of 
July,  1099,  was  followed  by  a  carnival  of  riot  and 
carnage  which  lasted  nearly  a  week.  With  a 
bigotry  as  fierce  and  intolerant  as  the  Jew  and 
hatred  as  cruel  and  implacable  as  the  Roman,  the 


177 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

followers  of  Godfrey  and  Tancred  and  Raymond 
pursued  the  unresisting  inhabitants  of  the  city, 
Moslems  and  Jews,  from  refuge  to  refuge, 
slaughtering  right  and  left,  and  sparing  neither 
age  nor  sex,  until  scarcely  enough  of  its  defenders 
were  left,  out  of  a  population  estimated  at  40,000 
to  70,000,  to  bury  the  dead.  Within  the  limits 
of  the  Haram,  where  a  large  number  had  sought 
protection,  more  than  10,000  were  put  to  the 
sword.  Like  to  this  in  ferocity,  but  not  so  ap¬ 
palling  in  point  of  numbers  was  the  massacre,  in 
turn,  of  all  the  Christians  in  Jerusalem — for  the 
most  part  resident  priests  and  monks — by  the 
Kharezmian  hordes  in  the  year  1244.  This  mas¬ 
sacre  followed  the  last  of  the  score,  or  more,  of 
disastrous  sieges,  which  have  heaped  ruin  upon 
ruin  within  and  without  the  walls  of  the  city. 

For  more  than  six  and  a  half  centuries  Jeru¬ 
salem  has  been  in  reality  what  its  name  originally 
implied,  a  City  of  Peace:  and  the  place  of  the 
‘‘Noble  Sanctuary”  has  been  throughout  this 
period,  a  secluded  spot,  where  flowers  bloom, 
and  birds  sing  and  eternal  quiet  seems  to  reign. 
Terrible  have  been  its  baptisms  of  blood,  but 
wonderful  beyond  all  conception  have  been  the 
far-reaching  influences  which  have  gone  out  from 
it  to  bless  and  elevate  mankind.  The  evil  and 
the  good,  the  unholy  and  the  holy  have  met  here 
in  sharpest  contrast,  and  have  ever  antagonized 
each  other,  but  the  “fittest  has  survived”  be¬ 
cause  the  Almighty  reigns  and  makes  even  the 
wrath  of  man  to  accomplish  His  holy  purposes. 


1 78  Memorable  Places 

“  Thus,"  as  one  has  expressed  it,  “these  mas¬ 
sive  and  time-worn  foundations  lead  us,  by  a 
chain  of  great  links,  from  the  current  hour  to  the 
Father  of  the  Faithful  Himself,  and  the  inaugura¬ 
tion  of  God’s  visible  kingdom  on  earth.  These 
links  bind  together  the  whole  Bible  history;  nor 
can  the  chain  be  broken.  It  is  impossible  to  ac¬ 
count  for  one  of  the  links  without  admitting  the 
rest  of  the  chain.  These  weather-beaten  stones, 
therefore,  are  witnesses,  silent,  solemn,  and  un¬ 
impeachable,  to  .the  great  historic  facts  upon 
which  our  faith  depends,  and  on  which  it  has  its 
foundations." 

“Standing  here,"  says  Dr.  Norman  Macleod, 
“  one  loves  to  linger  on  earlier  days,  and  to  recall 
the  holy  men  and  women,  the  kings,  priests,  and 
prophets,  who  came  up  to  this  spot  to  pray — 
whose  faith  is  our  own,  whose  sayings  are  our 
guide,  whose  life  is  our  example,  and  whose 
songs  are  our  hymns  of  worship.  We  seem  to 
hear  the  majestic  psalms  of  David  which  have  as¬ 
cended  from  this  spot,  and  have  never  been 
silent  since  on  earth,  nor  will  be  until  they  are 
absorbed  into  the  worship  of  the  Temple  above." 

All  this  and  much  more  this  Sacred  Area  sug¬ 
gests  to  the  reverent,  thoughtful  mind,  but  what 
pen  can  describe,  what  tongue  can  tell  the  full 
significance,  the  holy  memories,  the  thronging 
events,  the  typical  unfoldings,  the  spirit  voices, 
the  unuttered  and  unutterable  longings  and  as¬ 
pirations  which  are,  and  forever  will  be,  asso¬ 
ciated  with  this  place.  Its  material  glory  has 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  179 

indeed  departed  but  its  silent  spiritual  influence 
is  ruling  the  world  to-day. 

Crowned  in  the  olden  time  with  the  Sanctuary 
of  Jehovah;  illuminated  with  the  brightness  of 
His  glory;  trodden  by  the  feet  of  Patriarchs, 
Prophets,  Priests  and  Kings;  and,  more  than  all, 
hallowed  by  the  presence  of  the  eternal  Son  of 
God,  “the  desire  of  all  nations,”  who  combined 
in  His  person  and  work  all  that  temple  and  type 
and  priest  and  sacrifice  represented, — this  place 
stands  unchallenged  among  the  holy  places  as 
the  most  interesting  and  memorable  on  earth. 


XII 


THE  POOL  OF  SILOAM 

One  of  the  most  interesting  monuments  of  the 
past  in  or  about  Jerusalem  is  the  Pool  of  Siloam. 
The  name  by  which  it  was  known  in  the  time  of 
Christ  has  come  down  to  us  unchanged,  in  the 
language  of  the  country,  and  the  genuineness  of 
the  site  has  been  established  beyond  question  by 
several  converging  lines  of  evidence.  It  is  men¬ 
tioned  by  Josephus,  Eusebius,  Jerome  and  a  host 
of  travellers  who  have  visited  Jerusalem  in  the 
centuries  following.  Some  of  the  most  notable 
witnesses  in  this  line  of  succession  are — the  Bor¬ 
deaux  Pilgrim  (a.  d.  333),  Antoninus  Martyr 
(560-570),  Arculfus  (670),  Bernard  the  Monk 
(865),  Saewulf  (1 102),  Benjamin  of  Tudela  (1 163), 
Fabri  (1483),  Tsudi  (1519),  and  Maundrell  (1697). 
Nearly  all  of  these  travellers  since  the  date  of 
Antoninus  make  mention  of  a  church  which  was 
built  over  the  pool. 

The  Pool  of  Siloam  is  situated  in  a  slight  de¬ 
pression  on  the  west  side  of  Ophel — the  southern 
extension  of  Mount  Moriah — near  the  mouth  of 
the  Tyropoean  Valley. 

The  village  of  Siloam  (Silwan),  the  modern 
representative  of  the  town  mentioned  by  our 

Lord,  in  connection  with  the  fall  of  its  tower, 

180 


SKETCH  PLAN  OF  RECENT  EXCAVATIONS  IN 
AND  ABOUT  THE  PORT  OF  SILOAM. 
(Reproduced  by  permission  from  Report  of  Dr.  Bliss  in 
Palestine  Exploration  Quarterly.) 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  181 

extends  along  the  summit  of  a  low  ridge  almost 
directly  opposite  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
Kidron. 

The  pool  is  an  artificial  receptacle  or  reservoir, 
partly  hewn  out  of  the  rock  and  partly  built  up 
with  masonry.  It  is  wholly  dependent  for  its 
supply  of  water  upon  the  overflow  from  the 
basin  of  the  so-called  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  on 
the  other  side  of  the  ridge  of  Ophel.  This  foun¬ 
tain  has  been  identified  with  En  Rogel,  the  spring 
of  the  Fuller,  mentioned  several  times  in  the 
Old  Testament.  The  suggestion  that  it  is 
also  identical  with  the  upper  pool,  or  Spring  of 
Gihon  (“the  spring  head”),  and  that  the  Pool  of 
Siloam  represents  the  lower  Gihon,  has  met  with 
favor  and  bids  fair  to  solve  some  difficulties  in 
connection  with  the  history  of  these  sources  of 
water  supply.  The  visible  source  of  En  Rogel  is 
a  cave,  artificially  enlarged,  which  lies  twenty- 
five  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  It  is 
probable  that  the  stream  from  this  source 
originally  ran  out  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  that 
the  excavation  was  afterwards  made  at  a  higher 
level  for  the  purpose  of  diverting  it  in  another 
direction.  The  bottom  of  the  cave,  in  which  the 
water  rises  at  irregular  intervals,  is  reached  by 
two  flights  of  stone  steps,  numbering  thirty  in 
all.  The  connection  between  this  spring,  the 
only  fountain  of  flowing  water  in  or  about 
modern  Jerusalem,  and  the  pool  of  Siloam,  is  a 
winding,  subterranean  conduit,  cut  through  the 
intervening  spur  of  Ophel,  some  twenty-six 


182 


Memorable  Places 


centuries  ago.  This  conduit  or  tunnel  has  been 
explored  from  end  to  end  by  Dr.  Robinson, 
Colonel  Warren  and  others,  and  its  actual  meas¬ 
urement  in  length  is  seventeen  hundred  feet.  Its 
height  above  the  floor  of  the  passage  varies  from 
a  maximum  of  sixteen  feet  to  a  minimum  of  less 
than  two  feet. 

While  workmen  were  engaged  in  making  re¬ 
pairs  in  the  basin  of  the  Virgin’s  Fount  they 
found  the  entrance  to  an  old  rock-hewn 
aqueduct  on  the  south  side,  under  an  accumula¬ 
tion  of  mud  and  rock.  This  aqueduct  was 
traced  for  nearly  200  feet  from  its  mouth.  Its 
general  direction  at  first  was  down  the  valley, 
but  afterwards  it  seemed  to  make  a  great  sweep 
towards  the  west. 

This  appears  to  be  the  upper  part  of  the  tunnel 
or  covered  way,  which  was  discovered  some 
years  ago  by  Dr.  Schick,  and  of  which  he  ex¬ 
cavated  the  lower  portion  for  a  length  of  about 
600  feet. 

It  was  evidently  constructed  for  the  purpose  of 
conveying  the  water  to  a  reservoir  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  Tyropoean  Valley  and  is  older  than  the 
Siloam  tunnel. 

When  Hezekiah  “stopped”  the  spring  and 
made  the  famous  tunnel  through  the  hill  of 
Ophel  to  the  Pool  of  Siloam  the  older  water¬ 
course  was  abandoned. 

The  famous  inscription,  accidentally  discovered 
near  the  western  mouth  of  the  Siloam  tunnel  by 
an  Arab  boy  in  1890,  gives  the  clue  to  the  date 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  183 

as  well  as  the  circumstances  of  its  construction. 
According  to  this  record,  which  covers  the  face 
of  a  carefully  smoothed  tablet,  twenty-seven 
inches  square, — the  excavators  began  to  work 
simultaneously  at  both  ends  of  the  conduit  with 
the  intention  of  meeting  at  some  point  near  the 
middle.  They  did  not  meet  on  a  direct  line,  but 
when  one  party  had  worked  a  little  space  beyond 
the  proper  meeting-place,  the  voice  of  a  man  be¬ 
longing  to  the  other  part  was  heard.  Guided  by 
the  sounds  which  were  then  made  on  either  side 
the  workmen  were  soon  “  striking  pick  against 
pick,  one  against  the  other,  and  the  waters 
flowed  from  the  spring  to  the  pool."  It  is  a 
notable  fact  that  there  are  two  “  culs  de  sac  "  near 
the  middle  of  the  tunnel,  the  origin  of  which  can 
only  be  explained  on  the  assumption  that  the  ex¬ 
cavators  worked  from  different  sides  towards  a 
meeting  point,  as  indicated  in  the  inscription. 
The  Siloam  inscription  is  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  important  monumental  records  of 
Old  Testament  times.  The  characters  closely 
resemble  the  Phoenician  in  form,  and  it  is  con¬ 
ceded  by  the  leading  authorities  that  this  frag¬ 
ment,  so  long  hidden  from  sight,  represents  the 
oldest  specimen  of  the  Hebrew  language  that  has 
come  down  to  us,  except  the  Moabite  stone. 
“This  tunnel,"  says  Dr.  Ward,  “was  not  made 
later  than  the  time  of  King  Hezekiah,  and  the  in¬ 
scription  must  be  of  that  date  or  earlier;  and  it  is 
the  only  purely  Jewish  Palestine  inscription  of  any 
length  known,  there  being  nothing  else  but  small 


184  Memorable  Places 

seals"  (N.  Y.  Independent,  ’94,  p.  553).  This 
discovery  certainly  confirms,  if  it  does  not  make 
certain,  the  supposition  that  the  conduit  and  pool 
were  both  made  by  Hezekiah,  as  recorded  in  the 
book  of  Kings,  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  the 
water  from  this  outside  spring  to  a  convenient 
spot  within  the  city  walls.  “The  very  raison 
d'etre  of  the  Siloam  tunnel — as  Dr.  Bliss  puts  it 
— seems  to  have  been  to  bring  water  within  the 
limits  of  the  city.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that 
while  we  devoted  immense  labor  to  testing  the 
contrary  theory,'  yet  all  our  discoveries  have 
tended  to  support  this  view."  “The  Siloam 
tunnel  is  ascribed  to  Hezekiah,  says  Conder,  not 
solely  because  in  2  Kings  20:  20,  he  is  said  to 
have  made  a  conduit,  but  because  in  2  Chron. 
22:30,  the  tunnel  is  described  as  leading  from 
Gihon  in  the  Nakhal,  or  Kidron  ravine.  It  has 
never  been  proved  that  there  was  a  second  tunnel 
to  Gihon;  and  the  levels  of  the  aqueduct  found 
by  Mr.  Schick  do  not  agree  with  such  a  supposi¬ 
tion." 

A  short  distance  southeast  of  the  Pool  of 
Siloam  is  a  large  reservoir,  constructed  by  build¬ 
ing  a  dam  across  the  valley.  It  is  known  as  the 
“Old  Pool,"  and  is  connected  with  the  upper 
basin  by  a  broad  channel  cut  in  the  rock.  It 
seems  to  have  been  constructed  mainly  with  a 
view  to  conducting  the  overflow  of  Siloam  to 
the  gardens  in  the  valley  below.  The  waters 
which  glided  down  this  rock-hewn  channel,  and 
were  parted  hither  and  thither  to  gladden  and  re- 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  185 

fresh  the  King’s  Garden  at  its  foot,  might  well 
be  described  as  “the  waters  of  Siloah  that  go 
softly”  (Isa.  9:  6).  “It  seems  probable,”  says 
Colonel  Wilson,  “that  the  lower  pool  of  Siloam 
is  the  mikvah  (ditch,  r.  v.  reservoir)  which 
Hezekiah  made  between  the  two  walls  for  the 
water  of  the  old  pool  (Isa.  22:  11).  Thus  the 
construction  of  the  Siloam  tunnel,  and  of  the 
great  dam  examined  by  Dr.  Bliss  would  be  due 
to  Hezekiah.” 

Recent  excavations  (1896-1897)  under  the 
direction  of  the  Palestine  Exploration  Survey 
Fund  have  furnished  much  valuable  information 
with  respect  to  the  situation  and  environment  of 
this  sacred  pool. 

One  of  the  most  important  results  of  this  work 
is  the  discovery  that  an  ancient  city  wall,  clearly 
distinguishable  from  a  wall  of  later  construction 
alongside,  attributed  to  the  Empress  Eudosia, 
crossed  the  mouth  of  the  Tyropoean  Valley  below 
the  Old  Pool.  In  his  official  report,  Dr.  Bliss 
states  that  this  wall,  which  was  buttressed  and 
built  without  lime,  was  traced  with  more  or  less 
interruption — but  always  the  same  wall — from 
the  Protestant  Cemetery  on  Mount  Zion  down  to 
a  point  southwest  of  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  and 
thence  in  a  northeasterly  direction  to  a  point 
nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  Tyropoean  Valley,  in¬ 
cluding  within  the  city  of  that  period  the  lower 
as  well  as  the  upper  pool.  There  are  evidences 
of  frequent  reparations  along  the  line  of  the  wall, 
but  it  has  the  same  general  characteristics 


i86 


Memorable  Places 


throughout  and  is  evidently  of  a  piece  with  the 
old  wall  on  Ophel,  traced  by  Warren,  which  runs 
towards  it  from  the  southeast  corner  of  the  Tem¬ 
ple  area.  A  gateway,  which  corresponds  in  po¬ 
sition  and  surroundings  to  the  Fountain  Gate  of 
Scripture,  was  found  in  this  wall  almost  directly 
south  of  the  Siloam  pool.  Excavations  were 
made  at  several  points  north  of  the  pool  with  the 
expectation  of  finding  a  city  wall  running  across 
the  valley,  as  indicated  apparently  by  Josephus, 
but  no  trace  of  any  wall  in  this  position  could  be 
found.  At  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Old  Pool, 
however,  a  wall  was  found,  diverging  from  the 
main  line,  which  ran  in  a  northwesterly  direction 
up  the  west  bank  of  the  Tyropean  Valley.  This 
was  traced  to  a  point  some  distance  beyond  the 
upper  pool,  and  thence  all  traces  of  it  were  lost. 
The  probability  is  that  the  material  used  in  its 
construction  had  been  carried  away  to  rebuild 
other  structures.  Dr.  Bliss  offers  the  following 
as  a  possible  explanation  of  the  passages  in  which 
Josephus  seems  to  exclude  the  Pool  from  the 
wall  he  describes: 

“First  comes  the  statement  in  Wars  v.,  4,  2, 
where  Josephus  speaks  of  the  bending  of  the 
wall  above  the  Fountain  of  Siloam.  This  is 
jtaken  by  some  to  mean  a  curve  to  the 
inorth  of  the  pool  which  it  excludes  from  the 
city.  But  our  plan — in  the  April  Quarterly 
— shows  how,  after  crossing  the  Tyropean 
outside  the  Old  Pool,  the  wall  turns  at  Ophel, 
where  it  overlooks  the  pool  in  a  way 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  187 

that  might  well  be  called  ‘  a  bend  above 
Siloam/ 

“  In  regard  to  the  other  question,  as  to  whether 
the  Pool  was  outside  the  city  at  the  time  of 
Josephus,  note  that  he  says  ‘The  Fountain  of 
Siloam/  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  term  Siloam 
might  be  applied  equally  to  the  Virgin’s  Fountain 
as  the  source  of  the  waters  which  fed  the  Pool  of 
Siloam.  That  spring  was,  according  to  any  the¬ 
ory  or  discovery,  outside  the  city  at  the  time  of 
Josephus,  and  at  every  time.” 

While  excavating  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  Pool  of  Siloam  the  discovery  was  made  that 
the  modern  pool — fifty-three  feet  long  by  eight¬ 
een  feet  wide — was  a  contraction  within  the  area 
of  the  original  basin,  which  was  almost  square. 
As  restored  it  measures  seventy-five  feet  on  its 
north  side  and  seventy-one  on  the  west.  Near 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  enclosing  wall  a  pier 
was  found  at  the  height  of  twelve  feet  nine  inches 
from  the  pavement  with  the  springer  of  an  arch, 
which  indicated  the  existence  of  an  arcade  at  one 
time  on  that  side  of  the  pool.  From  this  and 
other  indications  Dr.  Bliss  assumes  that  the  arcade 
ran  around  the  four  sides  of  the  pool  and  repre¬ 
sented  the  “  quadriporticum,”  or  four-sided  ar¬ 
cade  of  the  Bordeaux  Pilgrim. 

Directly  north  of  the  present  pool  the  remains 
of  an  ancient  church  were  found.  This  building 
with  its  appendages  was  found  to  be  115  feet  in 
length  and  100  feet  in  breadth.  It  belongs  with¬ 
out  doubt  to  the  Byzantine  period  and  was  prob- 


i88 


Memorable  Places 


ably  built  by  the  Empress  Eudosia.  The  church 
is  mentioned  for  the  first  time  by  Antoninus 
Martyr  (560-570  a.  d.).  In  its  present  form  there 
are  evidences  of  changes  in  outline  and  propor¬ 
tions  which  indicate  one  or  more  restorations. 
By  driving  a  series  of  tunnels  the  general  features 
of  the  plan  were  recovered,  but  the  superincum¬ 
bent  mass  of  earth  and  debris  resting  upon  the 
building  to  the  depth  of  twelve  to  thirty  feet  was 
not  removed. 

The  most  interesting  discovery,  however,  in 
connection  with  this  series  of  excavations  was  a 
grand  flight  of  stone  steps  on  the  west  side  of 
the  old  wall  leading  from  the  Pool  of  Siloam  up 
towards  the  city.  The  main  part  of  this  stair¬ 
way,  as  seen  by  Dr.  Bliss,  consisted  of  steps 
built  of  hard,  well-jointed  stones,  laid  on  a  bed 
of  chips  and  mortar.  It  was  evident  also  that  the 
builders  of  this  stairway  had  made  use  of  a 
system  of  rock-hewn  steps  of  an  earlier  date. 
“Though  well  polished  by  foot-wear/'  says  Dr. 
Bliss,  “they  are  very  rudely  cut,  in  great  contrast 
to  the  well-squared  stone  steps,  and  the  two  can¬ 
not  be  ascribed  to  the  same  constructors.”  “On 
the  west  the  steps  butt  up  against  the  scarp,  and 
on  the  east  against  the  west  wall  of  the  original 
pool,  which  also  served  as  their  parapet.  As  the 
scarp  and  wall  are  not  parallel,  the  breadth  of  the 
steps  varies  from  twenty-seven  feet  at  the  top  to 
twenty-two  feet  at  the  bottom.  The  number  of 
steps  is  thirty-four.  They  vary  in  height  from 
six  to  nine  and  one-half  inches,  and  are  arranged 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  189 

in  a  system  of  wide  and  narrow  treads  alter¬ 
nately,  the  wide  treads  from  four  feet  three 
inches  to  four  feet  eleven  and  one-half  inches, 
and  the  narrow  ones  from  eleven  inches  to 
seventeen.” 

At  some  points  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the 
stairway,  it  was  found  that  the  steps  had  been 
broken  off  to  make  room  for  the  wall  of  the 
church,  while  at  other  places  they  were  buried 
beneath  the  level  of  the  flooring.  These  indica¬ 
tions  furnish  indisputable  evidence  that  the  stair¬ 
way  was  older  than  the  church. 

Above  the  flight  of  steps  a  large  mass  of 
blockage  was  found,  and  beyond  this  a  paved 
road  was  traced  for  a  considerable  distance. 
The  paved  road  and  the  steps  were  of  the  same 
class  of  work  and  the  general  direction  pointed 
towards  the  entrance  in  the  south  wall  of  the 
Temple  area,  known  as  the  Double  Gate.  A 
slight  divergence  to  the  left  would  connect  it  also 
with  the  entrance  at  Robinson’s  Arch.  Dr.  Bliss 
found  that  the  mass  of  blockage  between  the 
steps  and  the  paved  road  had  no  connection  with 
any  part  of  the  city  wall,  and  hence  he  concludes 
that  it  represents  the  ruins  of  some  structure 
which  belongs  to  a  period  following  the  disuse 
of  the  steps.  It  is  evident,  as  he  expresses  it, 
“that  so  magnificent  a  stairway  must  have  had 
a  clear  space  in  front  of  it.” 

On  the  south  side  of  the  old  wall  of  the  Pool  a 
paved  court  was  uncovered.  To  this  court,  or 
entrance-way,  steps  led  down  from  an  extensive 


190  Memorable  Places 

pavement  at  the  foot  of  the  great  stair¬ 
way. 

The  enlarged  basin  which  Dr.  Bliss  and  his  as¬ 
sociates  have  thus  recovered,  piece  by  piece,  is 
without  doubt  the  Biblical  Pool  of  Siloam;  and  it 
is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  site  in  or  near  the 
Holy  City  has  .furnished  so  many  interesting 
mementos  of  the  hoary  past.  Most  of  the  wall 
and  buildings  and  other  monuments  of  solid  con¬ 
struction  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  have 
been  covered  up  again  and  are  now  resting  be¬ 
neath  barley  fields  and  cauliflower  beds;  but  the 
secret  of  their  story  and  environment  has  been 
disclosed  and  now  it  is  possible  to  reproduce  the 
prominent  features  of  this  sacred  site,  with  its 
approaches  and  surroundings  as  it  appeared  in 
the  time  of  Christ. 

We  can  hardly  be  far  wrong  in  saying,  in  this 
connection,  that  we  have  along  the  line  of  the 
ancient  thoroughfare,  extending  from  the  Tem¬ 
ple  hill  to  Siloam,  and  thence  to  the  passageway 
southward  between  the  walls, — the  identical 
sites  of  the  long  lost  “Gate  of  the  Fountain," 
the  “wall  of  the  Pool  of  Siloah  by  the  King's 
garden,”  and  possibly  the  very  “stairs  that  go 
down  from  the  city  of  David”  (Neh.  3:  15). 

Down  this  roadway  to  Gihon — if  we  are  right 
in  assuming  that  Gihon  was  identical  with 
Siloam — a  silent  procession  came  more  than  a 
thousand  years  before  the  time  of  our  Lord,  with 
the  three  worthies,  Zadok,  Nathan  and  Benaiah 
at  their  head,  to  anoint  Solomon  as  King  in  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  191 

room  of  his  father,  David.  Here,  as  the  holy  oil 
was  poured  upon  his  head,  the  blare  of  trumpets 
rang  out  and  reverberated  among  the  rocks,  and 
the  shout  of  the  rejoicing  multitude  arose  to  the 
heights  above,  and  was  heard  by  Adonijah  and 
his  band  of  conspirators  at  En  Rogel,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  ridge  of  Ophel. 

In  later  times  Siloam  and  the  gardens  below  it 
became  a  favorite  resort  of  the  pilgrim  hosts, 
which  thronged  the  Holy  City  at  the  feasts,  and 
especially  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles — the  great 
harvest  festival  of  the  nation — when  booths  of 
green  branches  were  erected  on  the  housetops, 
and  in  every  open  space  within  and  about  Jeru¬ 
salem.  From  Siloam,  whose  source,  like  the 
sacred  stream  of  Ezekiel’s  vision,  was  hidden  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  Temple  hill,  the  water  was 
brought  in  a  golden  pitcher  at  the  head  of  a 
grand  procession,  and  with  great  ceremony,  for 
the  symbolic  libation  at  the  Altar  of  Sacrifice,  on 
the  last  great  day  of  the  feast.  Here,  while 
trumpets  sounded  and  the  Temple  courts  rang 
with  shouts  of  joy  and  psalms  of  praise,  the 
water  was  poured  out  by  the  Priest  in  commem¬ 
oration  of  the  waters  which  flowed  out  for  the 
thirsty  multitude  in  the  wilderness,  from  the  rock 
of  Rephidim.  It  was  doubtless  in  connection 
with  this  service,  the  most  joyous  of  all  the  cere¬ 
monies  of  the  day,  that  our  Lord  stood  and  cried, 
saying,  “  If  any  man  thirst  let  him  come  unto  Me 
and  drink.” 

That  which  makes  this  place  forever  memo- 


192 


Memorable  Places 


rable  and  sacred,  however,  is  the  story  of  the 
healing  of  the  man,  blind  from  his  birth,  who 
came  hither  to  wash  his  clay-covered  eyes,  in 
obedience  to  the  command  of  Jesus.  The  paved 
street  and  the  majestic  flight  of  stone  steps  sug¬ 
gest  the  route  by  which  the  blind  man  reached 
the  healing  waters  of  the  pool.  To  Siloam, 
which  by  its  very  name  was  a  symbol  of  Him 
who  was  sent  to  be  the  light  of  the  world,  he 
groped  his  way  with  clouded  eyes  and  hesitating 
step;  but  in  an  instant,  as  he  washed  the  cloudy 
film  came  off  with  the  grimy  covering  of  clay; 
and  lo!  a  new  world  burst  upon  his  astonished 
gaze.  The  first  glimpse  of  this  new  world  cen¬ 
tred  in  the  sacred  pool  and  its  surroundings. 
There  was  a  glory  on  rock  and  water,  on  field 
and  hillside  and  overarching  sky,  such  as  he  had 
never  even  conceived  of  before,  but  as  he  ran 
up  the  mountain  “like  a  pleased  child/'  a  wider 
outlook  came  within  the  range  of  vision,  and 
crowning  all  on  the  heights  above  was  the  Holy 
City  with  its  gleaming  pile  of  marble  and  gold. 
All  this  and  more  than  words  can  express,  is  im¬ 
plied  in  the  brief  sentence  of  the  Evangelist: 
**  He  came  seeing." 


XIII 


THE  WAY  TO  JERICHO 

The  historic  roadway,  which  for  more  than 
three  thousand  years  has  connected  Jerusalem 
with  Jericho,  is  literally  a  Way  of  the  Wilder¬ 
ness.  It  enters  the  wilderness  of  Judea  at  the 
very  outskirts  of  the  town  of  Bethany,  and 
emerges  from  it  on  the  eastern  end  of  the  Jordan 
plain,  hard  by  the  foot  of  the  Tell,  which  marks 
the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Jericho. 

The  distance  between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho,  as 
the  road  goes,  is  a  little  short  of  seventeen  miles. 
Its  general  direction  is  northeast,  but  it  takes  ad¬ 
vantage,  as  far  as  possible,  of  every  available 
glen,  and  torrent-bed,  and  depressed  ridge,  along 
the  line  of  its  rugged  course.  There  are  but  few 
places,  therefore,  where  a  change  in  the  road-bed 
would  be  practicable;  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  broad  carriage  road,  by  which  tourists  now 
go  down  to  the  plain,  is  merely  a  widening  out, 
and  a  filling  up  of  washed  out  sections  of  the  old 
historic  road.  This  notable  improvement  was 
effected  by  a  force  of  eight  hundred  men  in  the 
spring  of  1889.  The  rocky  ridges,  which  in  the 
course  of  the  centuries  had  encroached  upon  the 
shrunken  bridle  path,  were  cut  away,  the  loose 
stones  were  carefully  gathered  out,  and  made  to 

193 


194 


Memorable  Places 


serve  as  a  parapet  on  the  danger  side  of  the  road, 
and  the  rough  places,  in  a  comparative  sense,  at 
least,  were  made  smooth.  It  goes  without  say¬ 
ing  that  the  Roman  road  between  the  capital  city 
of  Judea  and  the  garden  city  of  the  plain,  which 
Herod  the  Great  enlarged  and  adorned  with  the 
costliest  and  most  magnificent  buildings,  and 
from  which  Mark  Antony  and  his  successors  de¬ 
rived  princely  revenues,  was  not  a  narrow  trail 
or  bridal  path,  such  as  Dr.  Robinson  found  on 
his  first  visit  to  the  Jordan  Valley.  It  must  have 
been  a  road  in  keeping  with  the  condition  of  the 
great  cities  which  it  bound  together,  and  the  re¬ 
lation  which  it  necessarily  held  to  the  Jordan 
fords  and  the  rich  and  prosperous  regions  be¬ 
yond.  Here,  as  in  every  other  part  of  Palestine, 
the  wash  and  waste  of  the  centuries  have  effected 
great  changes,  and  even  the  highways  of  ancient 
times  have  lost  their  distinctive  features,  and 
have  shrunken  into  camel  paths  or  mountain 
trails. 

The  rugged  district  traversed  by  this  road  is 
the  northern  portion  of  the  Jeshimon  or  wilder¬ 
ness,  which  includes  the  whole  of  the  eastern 
slope,  or  declivity,  of  the  “  hill  country  ”  of 
Judea.  It  is  cleft  and  seamed  by  numerous  tor¬ 
rent  beds,  which  deepen  as  they  descend  towards 
the  plain,  and  these  are  ofttimes  bordered  by 
jagged  cliffs  or  loose  irregular  masses  of  bare 
limestone  rock.  “Everywhere,”  as  Dr.  Robin¬ 
son  puts  it,  “the  slope  is  steep  and  sometimes 
precipitous,  and  is  often  cleft  to  its  base  by  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  195 

deep  valleys  and  gorges  that  issue  from  the 
mountain.  All  is  irregular  and  wild;  presenting 
scenes  of  savage  grandeur.”  Through  all  the 
centuries  in  which  it  has  been  known  to  history 
this  has  been  a  waste,  uncultivated  region — save 
in  a  few  favored  spots — a  region  given  over  to 
hermits  and  wild  beasts,  to  outlaws  in  hiding,  or 
to  wandering  shepherds  and  herdsmen.  It  was 
“the  land  not  inhabited,”  and  yet  close  to  the 
very  outskirts  of  the  Holy  City,  into  which  the 
scapegoat  was  led  “by  the  hand  of  a  fit  man,” 
after  the  iniquities  of  the  people  had  been  con¬ 
fessed  and  put  upon  his  head. 

It  is  not  strange,  in  view  of  these  characteristic 
features,  that  the  Jericho  road  has  always  been  a 
dangerous  way  to  those  who  travel  it  alone. 
“The  very  scenery,”  says  Buckingham,  “in  a 
portion  of  the  road,  the  bold  projecting  crags,  the 
dark  shadows  in  which  everything  lies  buried 
below  the  towering  heights  of  the  cliffs  above, 
and  the  forbidding  desolation  which  everywhere 
reigns  around,  seem  to  tempt  to  robbery  and 
murder,  and  occasion  a  dread  of  it  in  those  who 
pass  that  way.”  The  history  of  the  road  for 
many  centuries  forbids  the  assumption  that  this 
is  merely  the  fancy  of  a  passing  traveller.  It  has 
long  been  known  as  “the  Bloody  Way,”  and  to 
this  day  those  who  travel  over  it  are  safeguarded 
by  representatives  of  the  Turkish  government. 

It  follows  from  what  has  been  stated,  also,  that 
the  passageway  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  is  a 
descent  or  “ going  down ,”  of  more  than  ordinary 


Memorable  Places 


196 

steepness.  In  a  distance  of  less  than  fifteen 
miles,  in  an  air  line,  the  actual  descent  is  nearly 
thirty-five  hundred  feet.  In  other  words,  it  is  a 
letting  down  from  an  elevation  of  more  than 
twenty-five  hundred  feet  to  a  depression  below 
the  sea  of  nearly  nine  hundred  feet. 

Passing  from  these  general  statements,  we  note 
some  points  of  special  interest  along  the  line  of 
this  famous  route.  From  Jerusalem  to  Bethany 
its  course  over-  the  southern  slope  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives  is  familiar  to  every  reader  of  the  Bible. 
The  outlook  so  graphically  described  by  Dean 
Stanley,  from  which  Jesus  beheld  the  city  and 
wept  over  it,  is  at  a  point  where  the  well-worn 
roadway  passes  around  a  projecting  ledge  of 
rock  and  begins  to  descend  towards  Bethany. 
On  the  very  edge  of  the  little  basin  in  which  the 
town  of  Mary  and  Martha  lies,  the  wilderness, 
and  the  continuous  down-going  to  the  Jordan 
plain,  begin. 

At  the  foot  of  an  incline,  which  is  said  to  be 
the  steepest  in  grade  along  the  entire  route,  the 
road  enters  the  Wady  el  Hod,  the  “valley  of  the 
watering  place/'  which  it  follows  for  a  consider¬ 
able  distance.  In  this  wady  there  is  a  famous 
spring  by  the  roadside, — Ain  el  Hod, — which 
has  given  its  name  to  the  valley,  and  which  from 
time  immemorial  has  been  a  favorite  resting- 
place  for  travellers  and  pilgrims  going  up  to 
Jerusalem.  It  is  the  only  fountain  of  water  along 
the  line  of  this  wilderness  route,  and  is  supposed 
to  be  identical  with  “  the  waters  of  En  Shemesh," 


197 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

on  the  border  of  Benjamin,  to  which  reference  is 
made  in  the  book  of  Joshua  (15:  7).  Tradition 
has  given  to  it  the  name  of  “The  Apostle’s 
Fountain.”  “This  name  was  given  it,”  says 
Maundrell,  “because,  as  the  tradition  goes,  those 
holy  men  were  wont  to  refresh  themselves  here 
in  their  frequent  travels  between  Jerusalem  and 
Jericho.  And,  indeed,  it  is  a  thing  very  probable, 
and  no  more  than  I  believe  is  done  by  all  that 
travel  this  way,  the  fountain  being  close  by  the 
roadside,  and  very  inviting  to  the  thirsty 
traveller.”  The  ruins  of  a  large  building  are 
scattered  about  the  spring,  and  an  old  Saracenic 
arch  covers  the  stone  trough  which  still  receives 
its  refreshing  waters.  Some  three  or  four  miles 
from  the  fountain  the  road  leaves  the  Wady  el 
Hod  and  crosses  a  rocky  ridge  to  the  Wady  es 
Sidr.  Following  this  for  a  short  distance,  it 
crosses  another  ridge  to  the  head  of  the  Wady 
Tal  'at  ed  Dumm,  which  it  follows  almost  to  the 
south  bank  of  the  Wady  Kelt.  For  the  remain¬ 
ing  portion  of  the  distance  to  the  plain  the  road 
winds  around  the  south  side  of  the  wild  gorge  of 
the  Kelt  or  Valley  of  Achor  as  it  was  called  in 
the  days  of  Joshua.  Near  the  head  of  the 
Wady  Tal  'at  ed  Dumm,  and  about  half  way  to 
Jericho,  there  is  a  spot  of  evil  omen,  where  tra¬ 
dition  has  localized  the  scene  of  the  parable  of 
the  Good  Samaritan.  A  khan  has  been  erected 
here  on  the  ruins  of  a  similar  building  of  earlier 
date.  This  is  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  deso¬ 
late  places  along  the  line  of  the  road,  and  has  for 


19B  Memorable  Places 

ages  been  a  favorite  rendezvous  for  brigands  and 
robber  bands.  Here,  in  1820,  a  murderous  attack 
was  made  upon  Sir  Francis  Henneker,  who,  like 
the  Jewish  traveller  long  centuries  ago,  was 
wounded  and  robbed  and  left  half  dead  by  the 
roadside.  Above  the  khan  there  is  a  conspicu¬ 
ous  ridge  of  red  rock  which  is  known  as  “the 
hill  or  ascent  of  blood  ”  (Tal  ’at  ed  Dumm).  The 
name  suggests  the  site  of  “  Adummim,”  a  land¬ 
mark  on  the  northern  border  of  the  heritage  of 
Judah,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
the  road  leading  up  to  it  from  the  plain,  along 
the  bank  of  the  Wady  Kelt,  is  “the  going  up  to 
Adummim,  which  is  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river”  (Joshua  15:7;  18:  17). 

This  portion  of  the  route  is  much  more  rugged 
and  broken,  the  mountains  being  higher,  the 
ravines  deeper,  the  peaks  sharper,  and  the  slopes 
more  precipitous.  The  Wady  Kelt  is  the  wildest 
and  deepest  ravine  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Jordan.  The  stream  which  glides  along  its  rocky 
bed  is  shut  in  by  precipitous  cliffs  rising  to  the 
height  of  five  hundred  feet;  and  their  smooth 
faces  are  literally  honeycombed,  in  some  places, 
with  cells  and  chapels  which  were  occupied  by 
the  hermits  of  the  fourth  and  succeeding  cen¬ 
turies. 

There  is  a  famous  outlook  on  this  portion  of 
the  descent  at  the  head  of  a  pass  called  Akabet 
ed  Deir,  where  almost  the  whole  of  the  Jordan 
plain  with  its  magnificent  background  of  tower¬ 
ing  mountains  may  be  seen.  “This  outlook,” 


199 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

says  Dr.  Thomson,  “is  justly  regarded  by  tour¬ 
ists  as  the  most  impressive  along  the  route  from 
Jerusalem  to  Jericho.  But  the  attempt  to  repro¬ 
duce,  by  the  aid  of  the  pencil  or  the  pen,  a  pano¬ 
rama  so  vast  and  varied,  can  at  best  be  but  par¬ 
tially  successful.  The  sites  are  too  many  and  too 
distant  to  group  together  in  one  comprehensive 
picture,  and  to  be  brought  out  with  sufficient 
distinctness  to  satisfy  the  eye  of  any  one  who 
gazes  upon  the  impressive  reality.’' 

The  Jericho  road  has  many  associations  with 
the  past;  and  its  history,  if  written  in  full,  would 
be  one  of  the  most  interesting  volumes  in  the 
great  and  ever-growing  library  of  works  which 
treat  of  the  geography  and  history  of  the  Holy 
Land.  It  was  not  a  military  route,  like  the  road 
which  leads  down  to  the  valley  of  Ajalon  through 
the  Bethhoron  pass,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains  of  Judah ;  but  it  has  been  for  more  than 
twenty-five  centuries  the  great  caravan  and  pil¬ 
grim  route  to  and  from  the  lower  fords  of  the 
Jordan.  Uncounted  hosts  were  wont  to  come 
up  by  this  way,  from  Galilee  and  all  the  regions 
beyond  Jordan,  to  the  great  feasts  at  Jerusalem, 
from  the  days  of  the  return  from  the  captivity  to 
the  year  in  which  Jerusalem  was  destroyed.  And 
since  that  time  uncounted  hosts  of  Christian  pil¬ 
grims,  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  have 
travelled  over  the  same  route.  If  sometimes 
these  precipitous  cliffs  and  darkly  shadowed 
glens  have  echoed  the  cry  of  distress,  there  are 
many  more  times  when  they  have  rung  out  on 


200 


Memorable  Places 


the  clear  air  the  joyous  strains  of  “  Songs  of  De¬ 
grees,”  taken  up  by  company  after  company,  as 
they  ‘‘lifted  up  their  eyes  unto  the  hills”  and 
realized  that  each  stage  of  the  ascent  brought 
them  nearer  to  the  gates  of  the  Holy  City.  This 
was  the  way  by  which  David  escaped  to  the  far¬ 
ther  side  of  the  Jordan  when  Absalom  sought  for 
his  life;  and  by  the  same  route  Zedekiah  fled  from 
the  burning  city  of  Jerusalem,  only  to  be  taken  a 
little  later  on  the  plain  by  his  relentless  pursuers. 
It  was  doubtless  the  way  also  by  which  Pompey, 
Antony,  Herod  the  Great  and  other  noted  gen¬ 
erals  and  governors  of  Rome  passed  down  in 
state  to  Jericho,  or  up  to  the  capital  city  of  Judah 
on  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  Somewhere 
along  the  line  of  this  road,  and  in  all  probability 
at  one  of  the  seasons  when  multitudes  were 
thronging  it  on  their  way  to  Jerusalem,  there 
was  heard  “the  voice  of  One  crying  in  the 
wilderness ,”  “Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
make  His  paths  straight.”  Nowhere  else  could 
one  find  such  an  audience  in  the  wilderness,  and 
from  no  other  point  at  such  a  time  would  the 
news  spread  so  rapidly,  with  respect  to  the  man 
and  His  message.  Then,  as  He  journeyed  slowly 
down  to  the  Sacred  River  the  road  was  once 
more  alive  with  human  beings,  priests,  scribes, 
pharisees,  Sadducees,  publicans,  soldiers  and  a 
vast  multitude  of  the  common  people  crowding 
together  to  hear  His  words  or  to  be  baptized  of 
Him  in  Jordan. 

There  are  two  events  associated  with  this  road. 


201 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

however,  which  far  transcend  the  others  in  im¬ 
portance  and  which  have  invested  it  with  undying 
interest.  One  is  described  in  the  matchless  story 
of  the  nameless  Samaritan  who  passed  this  way, 
and  all  unconscious  of  the  reward  of  deathless 
fame  that  awaited  him,  stooped  down  to  minister, 
with  tender  touch  and  compassionate  heart,  to 
a  fellow-creature  in  distress.  The  other  is  the 
last  journey  of  our  Lord  to  Jerusalem,  the  story 
of  which  has  been  so  simply  and  beautifully  told 
by  the  evangelists.  Up  these  rocky  steeps  He 
toiled  on  foot,  with  a  great  company  of  pilgrims 
to  the  Paschal  Feast,  well  knowing  that  in  a  brief 
while  after  the  triumphal  procession  on  the 
slopes  of  Olivet,  and  the  shouts  of  Hosanna  to 
the  King  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
would  come  the  agony,  the  betrayal,  the 
mocking,  and  the  frenzied  outcry  of  the  fickle 
multitude,  clamoring  for  His  death  on  the 
cross. 

Hallowed  by  His  footsteps  on  that  memorable 
errand  of  mercy  and  love  this  Via  Mala  has  be¬ 
come  the  Via  Sacra  of  the  Christian  tourist  and 
pilgrim.  With  every  returning  spring-time 
multitudes  pass  over  it,  as  they  have  done  for 
long  centuries  in  the  past,  with  praiseful  hearts 
and  reverent  tread.  Of  this  wilderness  road, 
— the  type  of  the  rugged  but  ever  ascending 
pilgrim  way  from  the  city  of  Destruction  to 
the  gates  of  the  Celestial  City, — we  may 
truly  say,  in  the  language  of  the  Christian 
poet: 


Memorable  Places 


«  This  pilgrim  path  by  Thee  was  trod, 

Jesus,  my  King,  by  Thee ; 

Traced  by  Thy  tears,  Thy  feet,  Thy  blood, 
In  love,  in  death,  for  me." 


XIV 


FORDS  OF  THE  JORDAN 

There  are  two  notable  fords,  or  crossings,  in 
the  upper  valley  of  the  Jordan.  One  is  two 
miles  below  the  outlet  of  Lake  Huleh  and  the 
other  is  about  the  same  distance  above  the  point 
where  the  Jordan  enters  the  Lake  of  Galilee. 

The  site  of  the  upper  ford,  which  is  unques¬ 
tionably  one  of  the  oldest  crossings  of  the  river,  is 
marked  by  a  substantial  stone  bridge  of  three 
pointed  arches,  dating  from  the  fifteenth  century 
or  perhaps  earlier.  Its  modern  designation  is  Jisr 
Benat  Ya’cub — “the  Bridge  of  Jacob’s  Daugh¬ 
ters.”  The  name  is  indicative  of  some  ancient 
tradition  which  associates  the  place  with  Jacob’s 
journeyings,  but  its  connection  with  the  daugh¬ 
ters  of  the  patriarch  is  not  apparent. 

Near  the  bridge  on  the  eastern  side  are  the  re¬ 
mains  of  an  ancient  khan.  It  had  a  fountain  of 
cut  stone  in  the  centre  of  its  court,  which  was 
supplied  by  a  conduit  from  the  rocky  heights 
above.  A  solid  Roman  roadway,  paved  with 
large  slabs  of  basalt,  has  been  traced  from  the 
bridge  to  the  khan  and  thence  eastward  up  the 
slope  of  the  mountain. 

From  time  immemorial  this  road  has  been  the 

great  caravan  route  from  Egypt  and  the  Mediter- 

203 


204 


Memorable  Places 


ranean  coasts  to  Damascus  and  the  East.  It  was 
known  as  the  “  Via  Maris”  in  the  Middle  Ages 
and  in  the  time  of  Christ  one  branch  of  it  led  up 
the  Jordan  Valley  and  joined  the  branch  from  the 
Esdraelon  plain,  on  the  plain  of  Gennesaret,  near 
Khan  Minyeh.  It  is  still  a  favorite  route  for 
caravans  and  merchantmen,  and  it  is  said  that  in 
harvest  the  passage  of  camels  across  the  bridge 
never  ceases.  At  this  point  in  all  probability 
Saul  of  Tarsus  “breathing  out  threatening  and 
slaughter  against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord  ” 
crossed  the  Jordan  as  he  journeyed  to  Damascus. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  river  at  this  ford¬ 
ing  place  is  on  a  level  with  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 

The  lower  ford  was  the  ordinary  crossing  place 
from  Gennesaret  to  the  plain  of  Batihah.  An 
irregular  mound  of  ruins  on  the  eastern  side, 
known  as  Et  Tell,  represents  the  supposed  site 
of  the  city  of  Julias  (Bethsaida-Julias).  Here  the 
multitudes  crossed  to  the  desert  place  on  the 
other  side,  where  Jesus  manifested  His  com¬ 
passion — as  well  as  His  almighty  power — by 
multiplying  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  to 
supply  their  urgent  need.  This  ford  was  close 
to  the  region  in  which  Christ  spent  the  greater 
part  of  His  public  ministry,  and  was  probably 
on  the  line  of  some  of  His  eastward  missionary 
journeys. 

South  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  the  survey  party 
found  and  tabulated  about  forty  crossing  places, 
but  most  of  them  are  available  for  passage  in 
midsummer  only.  The  principal  fords  are  the 


205 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

connecting  links  between  ancient  highways, 
which  approach  the  river  through  wadies,  and 
breaks  in  the  mountains,  at  different  points  along 
the  line  of  its  tortuous  course.  They  are  as 
changeless  with  respect  to  location  as  the  great 
thoroughfares  which  lead  to  them  down  the 
rugged  defiles  of  the  mountains.  Of  the  ancient, 
historic  fording  places,  six  at  least  are  worthy  of 
special  mention. 

(1)  The  first  is  just  below  the  exit  of  the 
Jordan  from  the  Lake  of  Galilee.  It  is  the  cross¬ 
ing  place  of  the  road  leading  from  Tiberias  to 
Gadara  and  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake.  Pas¬ 
sengers  are  now  ferried  over  in  a  boat  at  this 
point,  but  in  the  days  of  the  Romans  the  river 
was  spanned  by  a  bridge  of  ten  arches.  Most  of 
its  massive  stone  piers,  some  of  which  are  well 
preserved,  are  still  standing.  The  Arabs  call  this 
broken  bridge  Jisr  Um  el  Kanatir.  “The  ford 
below  it,”  says  Dr.  Thomson,  “would  be  ex¬ 
cellent,  were  it  not  for  the  fragments  of  the 
bridge  which  strew  the  bottom.  The  river  is  about 
three  hundred  feet  broad,  and  it  is  not  more  than 
three  feet  deep,  except  in  early  spring.” 

(2)  Another  ancient  bridge  of  stone,  called  the 
Jisr  el  Mejami’a,  crosses  the  river  at  an  old  ford¬ 
ing  place  about  a  mile  below  the  junction  of  the 
Yarmuk  (Hieromax)  with  the  Jordan.  Over  this 
bridge,  which  is  in  good  condition  at  the  present 
time,  caravans  and  camel  trains,  laden  with  the 
grain  of  the  Hauran  and  the  merchandise  of  the 
east,  pass  year  by  year  in  long  procession,  as 


2o6 


Memorable  Places 


they  have  done  for  centuries  in  the  past.  The 
western  terminus  of  this  route,  which  reaches 
out  eastward  to  Arabia  as  well  as  to  Gilead  and 
Bashan,  was  Acre  on  the  Mediterranean.  In  later 
times  Haifa,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Carmel,  has 
become  the  terminal  seaport  of  this  overland 
route.  “  Up  this  Great  Road  of  the  East — as  we 
may  call  it” — says  Dr.  George  A.  Smith,  “have 
come  through  all  ages  the  Midianites,  the  children 
of  the  East.  In  the  Roman  period  it  connected 
the  Asian  frontier  of  the  Empire  with  the  capital. 
Chariots,  military  troops,  companies  of  officials 
and  merchants,  passed  by  this  road,  between  the 
Greek  cities  of  Jordan  and  Ptolemais,  the  port  for 
Rome.”  The  railroad  from  Haifa  to  Damascus, 
under  construction  at  the  present  time,  follows 
the  same  route  across  Lower  Galilee,  and  passes 
over  the  river  alongside  the  bridge,  which  for  so 
many  centuries  has  marked  the  site  of  this  ancient 
fording  place.  There  is  good  reason  to  believe 
that  our  Lord  sometimes  made  use  of  this  pas¬ 
sage  across  the  Jordan,  especially  when  journey¬ 
ing  between  Capernaum  and  Jerusalem.  It  is  a 
well  known  fact  that  the  eastern  or  Perean  side 
of  the  river  was  the  favorite  route  of  the  pilgrim 
bands  from  Galilee.  Here  the  way  was  smoother, 
the  grass  greener  and  the  water  supply  from  in¬ 
tersecting  streams  more  abundant  than  on  the 
western  side  of  the  Jordan.  “  These  streams,” 
says  Canon  Tristram,  “are  perennial,  and  over 
them  wave  many  a  palm-tree;  while  on  the  other 
side  the  palm  is  almost  extinct.” 


207 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

(3)  In  the  broad  open  space  at  the  mouth  of 
the  valley  of  Jezreel  there  are  several  fording 
places.  One  of  this  group,  about  a  mile  north 
of  the  junction  of  the  Jalud  with  the  Jordan,  has 
received  more  attention  than  the  others  in  recent 
years,  because  of  its  supposed  identity  with  the 
place  called  Bethabara  in  John’s  gospel  (1 :  28). 
On  the  survey  map  it  is  designated  as  “  Makhadet 
Abarah.”  The  word  “  Abarah  ”  meaning  “  pas¬ 
sage”  or  “ferry,”  was  recognized  by  Colonel 
Conder  as  radically  the  equivalent  of  the  name 
Bethabara,  and  hence  he  inferred  that  the  true 
site  of  the  “  House  of  the  Ferry  ” — Beth-Abara — 
was  to  be  found  at  this  location,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  river.  This  inference  or  conclusion 
was  strengthened  by  the  supposed  necessity — as 
he  regarded  it — for  a  location  which  should  be 
within  a  day’s  journey  of  Cana  of  Galilee.  The 
identification  proposed  on  these  grounds,  mainly, 
has  been  accepted  by  several  leading  authorities, 
but  the  location  does  not  seem  to  accord  with 
other  contemporary  events,  which  evidently 
belong  to  John’s  ministry  in  Judea.  Aside  from 
the  fact  that  Abarah  is  a  descriptive  word  and 
might  apply  with  equal  propriety  to  other  fords, 
there  is  no  warrant  for  the  gratuitous  assumption 
of  certain  hostile  critics  that  only  one  day  inter¬ 
vened  between  the  departure  of  Christ  from 
Bethabara  and  His  arrival  at  Cana  in  Galilee. 
“  The  controlling  passage  ” — as  Conder  expresses 
it — in  John  2:1,  does  not  necessarily  nor  naturally 
convey  this  impression.  Without  doing  violence 


2o8 


Memorable  Places 


to  the  language  used,  it  may  mean  the  third  day 
after  Jesus  took  His  departure  from  Bethabara; 
and  in  this  case  there  would  be  sufficient  time  to 
go  from  the  upper  ford  near  Jericho  to  Cana:  or 
it  may  mean  the  third  day  after  the  arrival  of 
Jesus  in  Galilee,  inasmuch  as  the  fact  of  His  pur¬ 
pose  to  go  thither  is  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
verses.  The  most  natural  interpretation,  how¬ 
ever,  of  the  reckoning  of  the  evangelist,  connects 
the  date  of  the  marriage  at  Cana  with  the  last 
named  event  in  the  narrative,  namely,  the  inter¬ 
view  of  Jesus  with  Nathaniel.  In  this  case  the 
question  of  distance  is  eliminated  altogether,  for 
the  reason  that  no  direct  intimation  of  the  place 
where  this  interview  occurred  is  given.  If  it 
were  in  Galilee,  at  or  near  Nathaniel’s  home,  as 
seems  most  probable,  the  meaning  of  the  “  con¬ 
trolling  passage”  would  be  freed  from  all  ambi¬ 
guity.  There  would  thus  be  but  one  day — as 
Alford  suggests — between  that  event  and  the 
marriage  in  Cana. 

It  is  certain,  at  least,  in  view  of  these  possible 
and  legitimate  interpretations,  that  the  advocates 
of  a  lower  ford  in  Judea  are  not  shut  up  to  the 
impossibility  of  the  accomplishment  of  a  journey 
of  eighty  miles  in  a  single  day,  as  Colonel 
Conder  intimates,  if  this  identification,  or  one  in  a 
similar  location,  is  not  accepted. 

Another  ford  of  this  group  is  on  the  direct  road 
from  Bethshan  to  Jabesh  Gilead.  There  are 
several  references  to  this  crossing  place  in  the 
Old  Testament  (i  Sam.  1 1 ;  8— 1 1 ;  31:  11,  12;  2 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  209 

Kings  9:  16-21,  etc.),  and  it  was  the  passage 
most  probably  used  by  our  Lord  and  His  dis¬ 
ciples  when  passing  from  the  hill  country  of 
Galilee  or  from  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  to  Jeru¬ 
salem,  by  way  of  Perea. 

(4)  The  Damieh  ford,  just  below  the  junction 
of  the  Jabbok,  is  the  well  known  crossing  of  the 
road  from  Shechem  to  Mount  Gilead.  It  seems 
to  have  been  the  place  of  Jacob’s  passage  over 
the  Jordan,  and  not  improbably  of  Abraham’s 
also,  at  an  earlier  date.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the 
ford  where  the  Ephraemites,  who  could  not  say 
“  Shibboleth,”  were  slain  by  the  men  of  Gilead 
(Judges  12:  5,  6).  A  rude  ferry-boat  carries  pas¬ 
sengers  over  this  crossing  at  the  present  time, 
but  the  remains  of  a  Roman  bridge  a  short  dis¬ 
tance  above  it  furnish  the  evidence  of  a  better 
and  safer  passage  in  former  times.  There  is  a 
possibility,  but  no  certain  evidence,  that  Jesus 
passed  this  way  on  one  of  His  journeys  to  the 
farther  side  of  Jordan. 

(5)  The  most  interesting  of  all  the  passages  of 
the  Jordan  in  respect  to  location  and  sacred  asso¬ 
ciations,  is  the  Nimrim  or  Nuwaimeh  ford  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Wady  Shaib.  It  is  nearly  opposite 
Jericho  and  is  on  the  line  of  the  old  Roman  road 
from  Jerusalem  to  Rabbath  Ammon  and  Lower 
Gilead.  It  is  known  as  the  “upper”  ford  to 
distinguish  it  from  another  crossing,  over  against 
Jericho  (Makhadet  Hajlah)  a  short  distance  below 
the  Pilgrim’s  bathing  place. 

The  Nimrim  ford  was  close  to  the  broad  way 


210 


Memorable  Places 


— if  not  itself  a  part  of  it — over  which  the  Israel¬ 
ites  passed,  by  platoons  dry  shod,  on  the  mem¬ 
orable  day  when  the  waters  of  Jordan  stood  on  a 
heap  far  up  the  Ghor,  and  rolled  away  to  the  sea 
from  all  the  valley  below.  By  this  way,  more 
than  five  centuries  later,  Elijah  came  with  his 
faithful  friend  and  associate,  Elisha,  from  Jericho: 
and  “  the  river  that  had  drawn  back  at  a  nation’s 
feet  parted  at  the  stroke  of  one  man,  and  they 
too  went  over  dry  shod.”  It  is  a  notable  fact 
that  one  of  the  two  men  who  communed  with 
Jesus  on  the  transfiguration  mount  passed  from 
earth  on  the  top  of  Mt.  Nebo  on  the  farther  side 
of  Jordan;  and -the  other  from  the  plain  which 
lies  at  its  foot. 

There  are  other  associations,  however,  with 
this  place  of  still  greater  interest.  On  the  edge 
of  Wady  Shaib,  a  short  distance  east  of  the  ford, 
there  is  a  ruined  site,  alongside  a  copious  foum 
tain  of  water,  which  is  known  as  Beit  Nimrim. 
Its  identity  with  Beth-Nimrah  (the  house  of  the 
leopard)  is  not  questioned.  In  the  Septuagint 
the  word  Bethabra  (the  house  of  the  ford)  is 
substituted  for  Beth-Nimrah.  In  this  substitution 
of  a  different  name  for  the  same  place  we  have 
the  only  definite  clue  to  the  location  of  Betha- 
bara;  and  this  accords  with  the  indirect  testi¬ 
mony  of  the  evangelists  which  conveys  the  im¬ 
pression  that  all  the  events  connected  with  the 
baptism  of  Jesus,  and  also  with  the  Baptist’s  tes¬ 
timony  concerning  Him — presumably  given  after 
the  Temptation  (John  i:  15-37), — took  place  in 


211 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

the  same  region.  This  is  spoken  of  as  the  place 
“where  John  at  first  baptized”  (John  io:  40). 
Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea, 
and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan  and  were 
baptized  of  him  in  Jordan  confessing  their  sins 
(Matt.  3:  5,  6).  At  a  later  date  the  Baptist  was 
found  at  /Enon,  near  Salim,  but  this  was  some 
months  after  Jesus  had  entered  upon  His  public 
ministry. 

There  is  no  intimation  in  the  gospel  narratives 
that  john  had  changed  his  preaching  place  dur¬ 
ing  the  forty  days  that  Jesus  was  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness.  He  was  then  in  the  height  of  his  fame; 
and  it  seems  almost  incredible  that  he  should 
have  gone  at  that  time  so  far  north  as  the  sup¬ 
posed  site  of  Bethabara  on  the  eastern  border  of 
Galilee :  or  that  a  deputation  of  priests  and  Levites 
should  have  been  sent  to  that  place  from  Jeru¬ 
salem. 

In  some  of  the  oldest  manuscripts  Bethany  is 
found  instead  of  Bethabara,  but  it  is  also  true 
that  Origen  knowing  this  selected  Bethabara  as 
the  better  or  more  familiar  name.  The  mean¬ 
ing  of  the  name,  as  Bloomfield  suggests,  is  al¬ 
most  exactly  the  same  with  that  of  Bethany. 
“The  difficulty  may  be  removed,”  he  says,  “by 
supposing  that  Bethabara  was  the  original  name 
of  the  place,  but  that  in  the  time  of  Christ  it  was 
usually  called  Bethania,  as  better  designating  its 
situation — the  original  crossing  being  by  ford, 
having  been  changed  to  that  by  ferry.  In  Ori- 
gen’s  time  the  old  name  may  still  have  been  in 


212  Memorable  Places 

use  and  this  may  have  occasioned  the  change  in 
the  reading.” 

In  a  word,  therefore,  all  the  circumstances  of 
the  gospel  narratives,  as  well  as  the  name  which 
the  Septuagint  supplies,  point  to  this  spot  beyond 
Jordan  as  the  place  of  the  baptism  of  our  Lord 
and  of  the  events  following  the  inquiries  of  the 
priests  and  Levites  who  were  sent  to  John  from 
Jerusalem.  “  There  is  surely  a  deep  significance 
in  the  fact,”  says  Dr.  Tristram,  “if  this  be  so, 
of  him  who  came  in  the  spirit  and  power  of 
Elias,  thus  exercising  his  function  of  herald  of 
the  kingdom,  and  completing  his  mission  by  the 
baptism  of  Christ,  at  the  very  spot  where  his 
prototype  had  ceased  from  his  mission  and  been 
carried  unto  heaven.  As  suddenly  as  the  first 
Elijah  disappeared,  so  suddenly  did  the  second 
Elias  appear  to  prepare  the  way  of  the  Redeemer. 
Where  the  first  dropped  his  mantle,  in  that  very 
spot  did  the  second  take  it  up.” 

The  Nimrim  ford  was  the  usual  crossing  place 
for  those  who  came  up  to  Jerusalem  to  the  feasts, 
from  Galilee  and  Perea  and  here  on  several  occa¬ 
sions  Jesus  passed  over  with  the  multitudes,  or 
in  company  with  His  disciples.  Here  also  He 
abode  two  days  after  He  had  received  the  mes¬ 
sage  that  Lazarus  was  sick  (John  io:  40;  11:6). 
A  new  toll  bridge  has  recently  been  thrown  over 
the  Jordan  at  the  Nimrim  ford. 

(6)  The  lower  ford,  five  or  six  miles  below  the 
Nimrim  ford,  is  the  traditional  site  of  the  bap¬ 
tism  of  Christ,  but  there  is  no  evidence  except 


THE  JORDAN  BRIDGE  AT  MOUTH  OF  WADY  SIIAIB  (NIMRIM 

FORD). 


213 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

the  tradition  itself,  in  support  of  this  location. 
It  was  one  of  the  “fords  towards  Moab”  and 
the  probable  crossing  place  of  Naomi  and  Ruth 
on  their  journey  to  Bethlehem. 


XV 


THE  LAND  BEYOND  JORDAN 

During  the  period  covered  by  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  Scriptures  the  country  beyond  Jordan,  south 
of  the  Yarmuk  or  Hieromax  River,  was  com¬ 
monly  designated  as  Gilead,  or  Mount  Gilead. 
When  Syria  came  under  the  supremacy  of  Rome, 
this  district  was  made  a  separate  province,  and 
to  it  was  given  the  official  title  of  Perea,  “the 
land  beyond.”  In  the  time  of  Christ  the  prov¬ 
inces  of  Galilee  and  Perea  were  united  under  the 
rule  of  Herod  Antipas.  There  are  some  discrep¬ 
ancies  of  statement  among  the  writers  of  that 
day  with  respect  to  the  exact  limits  of  Perea. 
In  its  narrower  sense,  as  sometimes  used,  the 
term  Perea  included  the  district  now  known  as 
the  Belka,  extending  from  the  Jabbok  River  to 
the  Arnon.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however, 
that  the  name,  in  its  larger  sense,  was  used  to 
include  important  places  in  the  immediate  vicin¬ 
ity  of  the  Yarmuk  River,  as  well  as  in  the  north¬ 
ern  portion  of  the  land  of  Moab. 

There  are  good  reasons,  therefore,  for  the  gen¬ 
erally  accepted  belief  that  Perea  included,  at  this 
time,  all  the  region  east  of  the  Jordan  to  the 

desert,  from  the  Yarmuk  to  the  Arnon;  or,  in 

214 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  215 

other  words,  all  of  the  land  of  Gilead  and  the 
northern  portion  of  the  land  of  Moab. 

This  district  as  a  whole  is  noted  for  the 
diversity  of  its  physical  features,  and  its  extra¬ 
ordinary  variety  of  soil  and  climate.  Its  plain  is 
a  broad,  generous  strip  of  alluvial  soil,  watered 
by  numerous  streams,  and  teeming  with  all  the 
products  of  a  tropical  land;  its  hillsides  are  a 
succession  of  rugged  slopes  and  terraces,  seamed 
with  water  courses  and  dotted  here  and  there 
with  patches  of  woodland  and  pasture-land;  its 
summit  is  a  broad  ridge  of  uneven  table-land, 
celebrated  for  its  picturesque  beauty,  its  luxuriant 
herbage,  its  far-famed  cattle  ranges  and  its  noble 
forests.  At  one  point  in  the  northern  portion  of 
this  district  there  yet  remains  a  grove  of  two 
hundred  palm-trees  of  unusual  size  and  beauty; 
at  another,  to  the  south,  several  clumps  of  acacia 
or  “shittim”  trees.  On  the  slopes  above  are 
numerous  representatives  of  the  shrubs  and  trees 
of  hardier  growth,  and  on  the  summit  there  are 
dark  groves  of  oak  and  Scotch  fir.  Here,  as  one 
has  expressed  it,  “the  difference  in  elevation 
does  not  really  convey  an  adequate  notion  of  the 
difference  in  climate,  owing  to  the  peculiar  con¬ 
ditions  of  the  Jordan  Valley,  which,  being  de¬ 
pressed  below  the  level  of  the  sea,  produces  a 
contrast  in  vegetation  with  the  mountains  of 
Gilead  corresponding  rather  to  a  difference  of  ten 
thousand  feet  than  of  only  half  that  elevation. 
The  consequence  is,  that  in  no  part  of  the  world 
could  so  great  a  variety  of  agricultural  produce 


2l6 


Memorable  Places 


be  obtained,  compressed  within  so  limited  a 
space.”  “In  all  Gilead,”  says  Canon  Tristram, 
“whether  forests,  prairie,  or  valley,  there  is  a 
wild  grandeur,  unequalled  in  any  other  part  of 
Palestine.  Lovely  knolls  and  dells  open  out  at 
every  turn,  gently  rising  to  the  wooded  plateau 
above.  Then  we  rise  to  the  higher  ground  and 
ride  through  noble  forests  of  oak.  Then  for  a 
mile  or  more  through  luxuriant  green  corn,  or 
perhaps  through  a  rich  forest  of  scattered  olive- 
trees,  left  untended  and  uncared  for,  with  per¬ 
haps  patches  of  corn  in  the  open  glades.  No  one 
can  fairly  judge  of  Israel's  heritage  who  has  not 
seen  the  luxuriant  exuberage  of  Gilead,  as  well 
as  the  hard  rocks  of  Judea,  which  only  yield  their 
abundance  to  reward  constant  toil  and  care.  To 
compare  the  two  is  to  contrast  nakedness  and 
luxuriance.  Yet  the  present  state  of  Gilead  is 
just  what  Western  Palestine  was  in  the  days  of 
Abraham.” 

This  description,  by  one  who  has  thoroughly 
studied  the  physical  features  and  natural  products 
of  every  portion  of  the  land,  accords  with  the 
uniform  testimony  of  all  travellers  and  explorers 
who  have  traversed  this  favored  region.  In  the 
time  of  Christ  it  was  not  given  over  to  wander¬ 
ing  Bedouin  and  herdsmen,  as  in  our  day,  but  it 
was  the  home  of  a  busy,  prosperous  and 
energetic  people,  who  built  great  cities,  con¬ 
structed  costly  conduits  and  reservoirs,  planted 
vineyards  and  olive  yards,  and  skillfully  developed 
the  resources  of  the  country.  The  ruins  of 


217 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

several  Graeco-Roman  cities  covering  acres  of 
ground  are  the  astonishment  of  modern  travellers, 
and  furnish  evidence  not  only  of  a  large  popula¬ 
tion,  but  of  a  highly  advanced  state  of  civiliza¬ 
tion  and  refinement. 

The  famous  cities  of  the  Decapolis,  an  inter- 
leagued  group  with  their  outlying  towns,  were 
all  east  of  the  Jordan,  except  Bethshan:  and  six 
out  of  the  ten  were  within  the  limits  of  the  prov¬ 
ince  of  Perea.  One  of  this  group,  now  known 
as  Jerash,  has  been  described  as  probably  the 
most  perfect  Roman  city  left  above  ground. 
Within  its  massive  walls  are  temples,  theatres, 
baths,  gateways,  a  forum  and  clustered  columns, 
more  than  two  hundred  of  which  are  yet  stand¬ 
ing.  At  Gadara,  for  a  time  the  capital  of  Perea, 
the  ruins  are  over  two  miles  in  circuit,  and  the 
rich  ornamental  work  in  marble,  basalt,  and 
granite,  lying  in  confused  heaps  or  scattered 
everywhere  over  the  ground,  indicate  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  a  city  of  great  wealth  and  magnificence. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  in  this  connection,  that 
in  the  beginning  of  our  Lord’s  public  ministry 
multitudes  from  “beyond  Jordan”  and  the 
“Decapolis  ”  followed  Him,  “as  He  went  about 
all  Galilee,”  teaching  in  the  synagogues,  healing 
the  sick  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
(Matt.  4:  23-25). 

The  trans-Jordanic  cities  reached  the  culmina¬ 
tion  of  their  material  greatness  during  the  age  of 
the  Antonines,  but  there  is  abundant  evidence 
also  with  respect  to  their  prosperity,  populous- 


218 


Memorable  Places 


ness,  and  dominating  influence  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Christian  Era. 

The  Jordan  has  always  been  a  rapid,  swirling 
river,  and  in  Old  Testament  times  it  was  re¬ 
garded  as  a  formidable  barrier  between  the 
eastern  and  western  divisions  of  the  land.  At 
some  seasons  of  the  year  it  is  dangerous  to  at¬ 
tempt  the  crossing  by  the  fords  at  any  point; 
and  at  other  times  the  footing,  except  in  a  few 
places,  is  treacherous  and  uncertain.  It  was 
not  in  accordance  with  the  policy  of  Rome  to 
permit  such  a  barrier  to  exist  between  provinces 
under  her  rule,  and  hence  in  the  time  of  Christ 
there  were  substantial  bridges  of  stone  at  every 
important  crossing  between  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
and  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  ruins  of  several 
of  these  bridges  yet  remain.  A  network  of 
paved  roads,  connecting  with  these  crossings, 
linked  all  the  important  towns  of  Perea  together, 
and  gave  ready  access  to  the  desert  khans  and 
fortresses  on  the  frontier  line  of  defense.  On 
this  side  of  the  Jordan  more  than  five  hundred 
miles  of  solid  Roman  roads  have  been  traced. 
Over  these  royal  roadways,  prepared  unwittingly 
by  an  alien  nation  for  His  coming  and  for  the 
spread  of  His  gospel,  the  Redeemer  travelled  on 
His  journeys  to  and  from  Jerusalem,  and  on  His 
missionary  circuit  through  Galilee,  the  Decapolis 
and  Perea.  “It  was  up  and  down  these  roads," 
also,  as  Dr.  Geo.  Adams  Smith  has  happily  put  it 
— “roads  which  were  in  touch  with  Rome  and 
with  Babylon — that  the  immortal  figures  of  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  219 

Parables  passed.  By  them  came  the  merchant¬ 
men  seeking  goodly  pearls,  the  king  departing  to 
receive  his  kingdom,  the  friend  on  a  journey,  the 
householder  arriving  suddenly  upon  his  servants, 
and  the  prodigal  coming  back  f rom  the  far  country.” 

It  is  a  common,  but  an  erroneous  impression, 
that  Perea  was  a  semi-heathen  district.  From  all 
the  information  attainable,  its  population  was 
about  as  distinctively  Jewish  as  the  population  of 
Galilee,  the  province  associated  with  it  under  the 
rule  of  Herod  Antipas.  The  thronging  crowds 
which  followed  Jesus  from  Perea  in  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  His  ministry,  and  the  fact  that  He  spent 
months  among  similar  crowds  as  He  journeyed 
slowly  through  this  portion  of  the  land  near  the 
close  of  His  public  ministry,  would  indicate  the 
existence  of  a  population  the  mass  of  which,  at 
least,  belonged  to  the  house  of  Israel.  “North 
of  the  Yarmuk,”  says  Dr.  Smith,  “the  inhabit¬ 
ants  were  mainly  Greek,  and  across  the  Jordan, 
Samaria  was  Samaritan;  but  in  Perea,  as  in 
Galilee,  Jews  formed  the  bulk  of  the  population; 
and  narrow  as  the  strip  must  have  been  which 
connected  the  two  provinces,  it  formed  an  easy 
and  convenient  passage.  The  Jews  always 
regarded  Perea,  Galilee  and  Judea  as  the 
three  Jewish  provinces;  and  when  the  Galilean 
pilgrims  came  to  the  feasts  at  Jerusalem  by  Perea, 
they  felt  they  had  travelled  all  the  way  on 
Jewish  soil.”  It  was  for  this  reason  mainly,  it 
may  be  added,  that  the  Jews  from  the  north  pre¬ 
ferred  the  eastern  side  of  Jordan.  On  one  occa- 


220 


Memorable  Places 


sion  our  Lord  made  choice  of  the  hill-country 
road  through  Samaria  in  passing  from  Judea  to 
Galilee,  but  at  other  times  He  seems  to  have  fol¬ 
lowed  the  usual  route,  between  these  provinces, 
by  way  of  Perea.  The  tradition  which  locates 
one  stage  of  the  return  journey  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  at  Beeroth,  a  few  miles  north  of  Jerusalem, 
when  Jesus  was  a  child  of  twelve  years,  is  at  best 
only  a  conjecture.  At  this  time,  as  the  narrative 
intimates,  they  were  travelling  with  a  large  com¬ 
pany  of  Galileans;  and  it  is  extremely  improbable 
that  such  a  party  should  have  chosen  the  route 
through  Samaria. 

The  most  convenient  crossings  at  that  time  for 
those  who  came  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Lake  of 
Galilee  were  the  bridge  just  below  the  outgo  of 
the  Jordan  from  the  Lake,  or  the  bridge,  called 
Jisr  el  Mejami’a,  a  short  distance  below  the 
junction  of  the  Yarmuk  with  the  Jordan.  Those 
who  came  by  way  of  the  Esdraelon  plain  crossed 
at  one  of  the  passages  in  the  vicinity  of  Bethshan. 
The  well  beaten  pilgrim  route  from  these  pas¬ 
sages  continued  down  the  valley  to  the  rich  plain 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Jabbok,  and  thence  to  the 
upper  ford  of  Jericho  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wady 
Shaib.  At  this  point  the  river  was  recrossed  and 
the  ascent  to  the  Holy  City,  by  way  of  Jericho, 
began. 

The  land  beyond  Jordan,  in  common  with  the 
sacred  river  itself,  “blends  the  memories  of  the 
Old  and  New  Covenants.”  In  the  early  dawn  of 
human  history  its  northern  section  was  traversed 


221 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

by  Abraham  and  Israel.  A  few  centuries  later 
the  breezy  heights  of  Gilead  were  the  camping 
place  of  the  armies  of  Israel;  and  thence,  after 
all  the  land  had  been  subdued,  the  remove  was 
made  to  the  final  encampment  on  the  plains  of 
Moab  or  Shittim.  Here  Moses  gave  to  the  peo¬ 
ple  a  summary  or  repetition  of  the  Law,  as  given 
on  Mount  Sinai;  rehearsed  the  principal  events 
of  their  history  through  the  forty  years  of  the 
wilderness  wandering;  and,  as  the  representa¬ 
tive  of  Jehovah,  closed  his  long  administration  of 
Israel’s  government  with  a  solemn  charge.  On 
the  mountain  of  Pisgah  which  overshadows  this 
plain,  the  undimmed  eye  of  Moses  beheld  the 
“good  land”  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan;  and 
ere  the  vision  had  faded  away,  his  freed  spirit 
was  summoned  into  the  presence  of  the  Eternal 
God,  with  whom,  even  while  on  earth,  he  had 
ofttimes  communed  face  to  face  as  a  man  with 
his  frierfd.  Not  far  from  this  spot  some  cen¬ 
turies  later  two  of  the  noted  prophets  of  Israel, 
Elijah  and  Elisha,  were  holding  sweet  converse 
as  they  journeyed  together.  Suddenly,  as  they 
went  on  and  talked,  there  was  a  flash  of  celestial 
brightness  for  a  brief  moment  on  the  slope  of 
Gilead  ;  and  an  appearance  as  it  were  of  a  chariot 
of  fire  and  horses  of  fire.  As  the  glowing  vision 
swept  by,  Elijah  was  separated  from  his  friend 
and  caught  up  by  a  whirlwind  into  the  open¬ 
ing  heaven.  Not  without  significance,  in  view 
of  these  events,  in  Old  Testament  history,  was 
the  coming  of  another  prophet  in  the  spirit  and 


222 


Memorable  Places 


power  of  Elijah,  who  prepared  the  way  for  the 
long  promised  Deliverer  of  Israel,  and  on  this 
side  of  Jordan  witnessed  for  Him,  not  only  in 
words  as  he  stood  by  the  riverside,  but  also  by  a 
martyr's  death  in  a  dungeon  keep  on  the  heights 
of  Moab.  There  was  a  fitting  and  still  more 
significant  blending  of  the  Old  and  the  New, 
however,  when  Jesus  of  Nazareth  came  into  this 
Perean  land  from  Galilee,  and  received  baptism 
at  the  prophet’s  hands.  Then  again  were  the 
heavens  opened  and  the  Spirit  of  God  descended 
like  a  dove  and  rested  upon  Him;  “and  lo  a 
voice  from  heaven,  saying,  This  is  My  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.”  In  Him  at 
this  eventful  hour  were  verified  all  the  promises 
concerning  the  Prophet  like  unto  Moses;  the 
great  High  Priest,  who  should  offer  atonement 
for  sin;  the  King  who  should  rule  in  righteous¬ 
ness;  the  Shepherd  who  should  lead  His  people 
like  a  flock;  and  the  Lamb  of  God  who  should 
take  away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

In  the  region  beyond  Jordan  Jesus  began  His 
itinerant  ministry — winning  on  this  ground  His 
first  disciples — and  here  also  He  ended  it.  When 
He  took  His  final  departure  from  the  place 
"  where  John  at  first  baptized,”  it  was  to  go  up 
by  the  most  direct  route  to  Jerusalem,  where,  as 
He  well  knew,  the  cross  awaited  Him. 

To  this  people  in  the  land  beyond  Jordan,  who 
gave  Him  a  refuge  and  a  welcome  when  the 
Samaritans  had  refused  Him  entrance  to  their  vil¬ 
lages — when  the  Galileans  had  rejected  Him  and 


223 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

the  rulers  in  Judea  were  seeking  for  His  life — Jesus 
gave  the  most  precious  things  of  His  beneficent 
ministry.  In  Perea  He  reaped  where  John  had 
sown,  and,  as  in  Galilee,  a  round  of  cities  and  vil¬ 
lages  was  visited.  Here  He  brought  joy  and  glad¬ 
ness  to  many  a  desolate  heart  and  afflicted  home, 
although  moving  Himself  under  the  very  shadow 
of  the  cross.  To  this  place  and  period  belong 
the  Parables  of  the  Great  Supper,  the  Rich  Man 
and  Lazarus,  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican,  the 
Lost  Sheep,  the  Prodigal  Son  and  others  of  like 
import — comprising  about  one-third  of  all  the 
recorded  parables  of  Jesus — which  so  forcibly 
and  beautifully  illustrate  the  riches  of  redeeming 
grace  and  the  wonders  of  redeeming  love.  Here, 
as  we  read  in  Luke’s  gospel — and  no  marvel  that 
it  was  so — “all  the  publicans  and  sinners  drew 
near  unto  Him  ”  to  hear  Him:  and  many  from 
the  ranks  of  the  lowly  and  despised  classes  of 
society  received  His  testimony  and  believed  on 
His  name.  In  Galilee  Jesus  spoke  mainly  of  the 
coming  kingdom ,  its  nature  and  laws,  and  the 
necessity  of  seeking  it  above  all  other  things;  but 
here  He  speaks  of  the  King’s  Son  who  was  com¬ 
ing  to  His  own,  albeit  through  suffering  and 
shame,  and  dwelt  especially  upon  the  consum¬ 
mation  of  the  long  promised  blessings  of  Mes¬ 
siah’s  reign. 

It  was  in  Perea  also  that  the  interview  with 
the  rich  young  ruler,  and — ever  memorable  inci¬ 
dent— the  blessing  of  the  little  children,  brought 
to  Him  by  their  parents,  took  place. 


224 


Memorable  Places 


In  view  of  this  tender  and  blessed  ministry,  we 
do  not  wonder  that  Christianity  took  deep  root 
in  the  trans-Jordanic  provinces  after  the  ascen¬ 
sion  of  our  Lord;  and  that  here  many  were  found 
to  be  faithful  even  unto  death,  through  the  dark 
days  of  persecution  in  the  generations  following. 


XVI 


THE  STRONGHOLDS  OF  MACH/ERUS  AND  MASADA 

The  most  interesting  remains  on  the  shores  of 
the  Dead  Sea  are  the  ruined  heaps  and  shattered 
walls  which  mark  the  sites  of  the  ancient  fortresses 
of  Machaerus  and  Masada. 

The  one  overlooked  the  waters  of  this  silent  sea 
from  a  rugged  crest  on  the  heights  of  Moab:  the 
other  from  the  summit  of  an  isolated  crag  on  the 
western  side,  amid  the  wildest  and  most  desolate 
portion  of  the  Wilderness  of  Judea.  Both  were 
built  in  troublous  times  as  places  of  refuge  and 
defense,  both  were  strongly  fortified  in  the  time 
of  our  Lord  and  both  have  been  associated  with 
some  of  the  darkest  and  most  tragic  events  in 
human  history. 

Machcerus. — The  Castle  or  Citadel  of  Machae- 
rus  was  built  originally  by  Alexander  Janneus  as 
a  bulwark  against  invasion  from  the  east  and 
south,  in  the  beginning  of  the  century  which  pre¬ 
ceded  the  birth  of  Christ.  When  Aristobulus 
was  hard  pressed  by  the  Roman  General  Gabinius 
he  fled  to  this  stronghold  with  1,000  men.  He 
was  closely  followed,  however,  by  Gabinius,  who 
carried  the  citadel  by  assault  and  afterwards  des¬ 
troyed  it.  The  unusual  advantages  of  the  place 

as  a  frontier  fortress  and  as  a  place  of  refuge  in 

225 


226 


Memorable  Places 


time  of  danger,  were  noted  by  Herod  the  Great, 
soon  after  his  accession  to  power,  and  under  his 
direction  Machserus  was  rebuilt  on  a  larger  scale 
and  fortified  with  massive  walls  and  towers.  At 
the  other  end  of  the  narrow  ridge  on  which  the 
citadel  was  erected  Herod  built  a  grand  palace  of 
costly  material  and  workmanship,  surrounding  it 
with  a  great  wall,  the  towers  of  which  are  said 
to  have  been  200  feet  high  at  the  corners.  Within 
the  enclosure  of  this  palace-fortress  were  marble- 
lined  halls,  magnificentbaths,  reservoirs,  barracks, 
storehouses  and  everything  which  this  luxurious 
ruler  regarded  as  essential  to  his  comfort  or  se¬ 
curity.  The  detached  citadel  occupied  the  most 
defensible  position  and  was  intended  to  be  a  last 
resort  in  case  the  palace  should  be  taken. 

The  location  of  Machaerus  is  at  the  northern 
extremity  of  Jebel  Attarus,  one  of  the  highest 
ridges  of  the  Moabite  range.  It  is  seven  miles 
from  the  Dead  Sea  and  is  about  3,800  feet  above 
its  surface.  From  this  outlook  may  be  seen,  in 
distinct  outline,  the  whole  of  the  western  shore 
of  the  Sea,  the  Wilderness  of  Judea  and  the 
mountains  of  Judea  from  Hebron  to  the  higher 
elevations  north  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  said  that  the 
beacon  lights  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  which  an¬ 
nounced  the  appearance  of  the  Passover  moon, 
could  be  seen  from  Tabor  and  Machaerus. 

The  narrow  ridge  on  which  the  citadel  was 
built  is  almost  surrounded  by  deep  valleys  with 
precipitous  sides.  From  this  point  the  ground 
falls  away  abruptly  northward  towards  the  deep 


227 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

trench-like  chasm  of  the  Wady  Zerka  Ma’in. 
This  is  the  Cailirhoe  of  ancient  times,  and  next  to 
the  cleft  through  which  the  Arnon  finds  its  way 
to  the  Salt  Sea  it  is  the  deepest  furrow  on  the 
western  face  of  the  mountains  of  Moab.  At  one 
point  it  is  bordered  by  cliffs  1,700  feet  in  height. 
On  the  south  side  basaltic  columns  rise  several 
hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  stream  and 
almost  block  the  entrance  to  the  gorge.  Farther 
down  the  hot  springs,  which  have  made  this 
place  a  famous  resort  since  the  days  of  the  Roman 
occupation,  burst  out  from  the  side  of  the  valley, 
and  send  up  clouds  of  vapor  to  the  skies.  These 
springs,  which  vary  in  temperature  from  no  de¬ 
grees  to  140  degrees,  are  the  sources  of  eight  or 
ten  rivulets,  some  of  which  glide  along  between 
banks  of  basaltic  or  limestone  rock  to  the  swift 
stream  which  courses  through  the  bed  of  the  val¬ 
ley,  while  others  fall  in  cascades  amid  luxurious 
masses  of  tropical  vegetation. 

In  a  vivid  description  of  this  weird  and  awe-in¬ 
spiring  retreat,  Colonel  Conder  says  : — “It  took 
a  full  hour  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  gorge,  and 
the  scene  beneath  was  wonderful  beyond  descrip¬ 
tion.  On  the  south,  black  basalt,  brown  lime¬ 
stone,  gleaming  marl.  On  the  north  sandstone 
cliffs  of  all  colors,  from  pale  yellow  to  pink  pur¬ 
ple.  In  the  valley  itself  the  brilliant  green  of 
palm  clumps,  rejoicing  in  the  heat  and  in  the 
sandy  soil.  The  streams,  bursting  from  the  cliffs, 
poured  down  in  rivulets  between  banks  of  crusted 
orange  sulphur  deposits.  .  .  .  Crossing  three 


228  Memorable  Places 

rivulets,  from  each  of  which  our  horses,  appar¬ 
ently  aware  of  the  heat  of  the  water,  shrank  back 
in  fear,  we  reached  the  principal  hot  spring, 
which  has  formed  a  ledge  of  breccia-like  deposit 
in  the  valley,  just  north  of  the  basalt  cliff.  Here 
the  chasm  is  narrowest,  and  the  main  stream  be¬ 
low  could  be  seen  winding  among  black  boulders, 
which  impede  its  course,  with  the  dark  precipice 
frowning  as  though  about  to  fall,  like  Sinai  in  the 
Pilgrim’s  Progress.  The  stream  has  bored  through 
the  sulphurous  breccia,  and  runs  in  a  tunnel  of  its 
own  making,  issuing  from  this  hot  shaft  about 
ioo  feet  lower,’  in  the  gorge  itself.  ...  Of 
all  scenes  in  Syria,  even  after  standing  on  Her- 
mon,  or  among  the  groves  of  Banias,  or  at  En- 
gedi,  or  among  the  crags  of  the  Antilebanon, 
there  is  none  which  so  dwells  in  my  memory  as 
does  this  awful  gorge,  ‘the  valley  of  God,’ by 
Beth  Peor,  where  perhaps  the  body  of  Moses  was 
laid — the  fair  flowing  stream  which  Herod  sought 
below  the  gloomy  prison  of  John  the  Baptist  at 
Machaerus — the  dread  chasm  where  the  Bedawin 
still  offer  sacrifices  to  the  desert  spirits,  and  still 
bathe  with  full  faith  in  the  healing  powers  of 
the  spring.” 

After  the  death  of  Herod  the  Great  the  prov¬ 
inces  of  Galilee  and  Perea  were  assigned  to 
Herod  Antipas;  and  for  more  than  thirty  years 
the  stronghold  which  overlooked  this  mysterious 
valley  of  the  healing  waters  was  in  his  keeping. 

This  breezy  height  was  his  favorite  mountain 
resort  and  during  his  period  of  rule  the  palace  of 


i- 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  229 

Machaerus  was  the  scene  of  many  a  brilliant  as¬ 
semblage  and  dissolute  revel.  When  John  the 
Baptist  came  out  from  his  retirement  in  the  Wil¬ 
derness  and  began  to  preach  and  baptize  on  the 
Perean  side  of  the  Jordan  he  was  in  the  territory 
of  Herod,  and  the  influence  which  he  exerted 
was  felt  in  the  palace  of  Machaerus  as  well  as  in 
the  temple  at  Jerusalem.  Drawn  at  first  by  curi¬ 
osity  Herod  was  impressed  by  the  sincerity  and 
uncompromising  fidelity  of  this  famous  preacher 
of  righteousness,  and  while  he  feared  him,  as 
Ahab  feared  Elijah,  he  was  nevertheless  attracted 
to  him,  and  for  a  time  his  better  nature  assented 
to  the  truths  which  he  so  earnestly  advocated  and 
so  strenuously  enjoined,  without  respect  to  the 
claims  of  rank  or  place  or  person.  It  is  implied 
in  the  narrative  of  the  evangelists — strange  as  it 
may  seem — that  this  cruel,  crafty  and  sensual 
despot  had  relations  with  John  the  Baptist,  at 
this  time,  based  on  profound  respect,  which  bor¬ 
dered  upon  intimacy,  if  not  affection.  As  Mark 
puts  it:  “Herod  feared  John,  knowing  that  he 
was  a  just  man  and  an  holy,  and  observed  him; 
and  when  he  heard  him  he  did  many  things,  and 
heard  him  gladly." 

The  change  of  attitude  towards  this  faithful 
prophet  was  due  to  the  evil  influences  of  Herodias. 
At  her  instigation  he  was  seized  and  cast  into 
prison  but  she  could  not  at  this  time,  or  by  the 
use  of  direct  influences,  prevail  upon  Herod  to 
put  him  to  death.  This  is  plainly  intimated  in 
the  narrative  of  the  evangelist  already  quoted: 


230 


Memorable  Places 


“  For  Herod  himself  had  sent  forth  and  laid  hold 
upon  John,  and  bound  him  in  prison  for  Hero - 
dias'  sake ,  his  brother  Philip’s  wife.  For  John 
had  said  unto  Herod,  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to 
have  thy  brother’s  wife.  Therefore  Herodias 
had  a  quarrel  against  him,  and  would  have 
killed  him,  but  she  could  not ”  (Mark  6:  17-19). 
From  the  Jewish  historian,  Josephus,  we  get  the 
information  that  the  place  of  John’s  imprisonment 
was  the  castle  of  Machserus.  In  one  of  the  dun¬ 
geon  keeps  of  this  gloomy  fortress  the  last  and 
greatest  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets  lan¬ 
guished  for  weary  months,  before  the  messenger 
of  death  brought  to  his  unfettered  spirit  the  long 
looked  for  deliverance.  The  details  of  this  sad 
and  shameful  tragedy  are  familiar  to  all.  No 
darker  story  of  revengeful  scheming  and  heart¬ 
less  cruelty  sullies  the  pages  of  human  history; 
and  no  braver  witness  for  the  truth  of  God  ever 
sealed  the  testimony  which  his  lips  had  uttered 
with  his  own  heart’s  blood. 

To  Herodias,  in  that  brief  moment  of  fancied 
triumph,  was  given  the  gory  head  of  the  mur¬ 
dered  prophet,  but  the  mangled  body,  which  had 
probably  been  cast  outside  the  ramparts,  was 
tenderly  taken  up  by  the  disciples  and  reverently 
prepared  for  burial.  Then,  when  all  was  over, 
“the  disciples  went  and  told  Jesus.” 

In  the  very  prime  of  life  the  voice  of  this  herald 
messenger  was  rudely  silenced  in  death,  but  not 
until  his  message  had  been  delivered  and  his 
great  life-work  accomplished: 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  231 

“  And  as  flashed  the  headsman’s  broadsword :  rose  the  Sun  on 
Pisgah’s  height 

And  the  Morning  Star  was  hidden  in  the  flash  of  golden 
light.” 

Among  the  ruins  of  Machaerus  two  under¬ 
ground,  rock-hewn  chambers  have  been  found 
which  in  all  probability  were  the  lower  vaults  of 
the  prison  house  in  which  John  the  Baptist  was 
confined.  Dr.  Tristram,  the  first  European  ex¬ 
plorer  who  visited  and  described  the  place,  ex¬ 
amined  these  chambers  or  cells  with  care.  One 
was  partly  destroyed,  but  the  other  was  very 
deep  and  its  sides  were  scarcely  broken  in. 
“That  these  were  dungeons,"  he  says,  “not 
cisterns,  is  evident  from  there  being  no  traces  of 
cement,  which  never  perishes  from  the  walls  of 
ancient  reservoirs,  and  from  the  small  holes,  still 
visible  in  the  masonry,  where  staples  of  wood 
and  iron  had  once  been  fixed.  One  of  these 
must  surely  have  been  the  prison  house  of  John 
the  Baptist." 

About  forty  years  later  Machaerus  was  the 
scene  of  another  dark  tragedy  in  connection  with 
the  last  great  war  of  the  Jews  with  Rome.  Dur¬ 
ing  this  long  period  of  strife,  or  near  its  close, 
the  three  strongholds  of  Southern  Palestine, — 
Machaerus,  Herodium,  and  Masada, — were  occu¬ 
pied  and  held  by  insurgent  bands  of  the  Zealots 
or  Sicarii,  who  exacted  tribute  from  the  defense¬ 
less  communities  around  them,  and,  with  reckless 
courage,  defied  the  veteran  legions,  which,  after 
the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  were  sent  to  subdue  them. 


232  Memorable  Places 

After  the  Procurator,  Lucilius  Bassus,  had  taken 
the  Citadel  of  the  Herodium,  he  collected  all  the 
available  soldiers  of  the  province,  and  cross¬ 
ing  the  Jordan  laid  siege  to  the  fortress  of 
Machaerus. 

During  the  progress  of  the  siege  several  sorties 
were  made  by  the  garrison,  and  in  one  of  these 
ventures  Eleazer,  a  noted  leader  of  the  Jews,  was 
taken  prisoner. 

Through  his  intercession,  when  threatened 
with  instant  death  by  crucifixion,  the  Citadel  was 
surrendered  to  the  Romans.  The  parties  directly 
concerned  in  .this  surrender  were  spared  but  the 
rest  of  the  garrison,  while  attempting  to  escape, 
were  pursued  by  the  soldiers  and  put  to  the 
sword.  According  to  Josephus,  one  thousand 
and  seven  hundred  of  the  defenders  of  the  garri¬ 
son  were  slain,  while  all  the  women  and  children 
were  sold  into  slavery. 

When  the  sun  arose  over  the  heights  of  Moab, 
on  the  morning  which  followed  that  day  of  ruth¬ 
less  slaughter,  it  shone  upon  dismantled  walls 
and  desolate  heaps  of  rocks,  covered  with  dead 
bodies  and  crimsoned  with  human  blood. 

Masada. — After  the  fall  of  Machaerus  this 
gloomy  fortress  of  the  wilderness  was  the  only 
remaining  stronghold  of  the  insurgents,  within 
the  limits  of  the  Holy  Land.  Here  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  most  desolate  region  of  Judea  the  last 
stand  was  made  against  Rome.  In  this  fateful 
spot  where  the  last  vial  of  wrath  was  poured  out, 
amid  smoke  and  flame,  the  clash  of  arms,  and  the 


4  'I 


l 


PORTION  OF  WALL  AND  GATEWAY  ON  NORTHERN  EDGE 
OF  SUMMIT  OF  THE  HILL  OF  MASADA. 


. 


- 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  233 

groans  of  self-immolated  victims,  the  doom  of 
the  Jewish  nation  was  sealed. 

The  site  of  Masada,  now  known  as  Sebbeh, 
has  been  identified  with  certainty  by  the  remains 
of  the  Roman  wall  of  circumvallation  as  well  as 
by  the  massive  walls,  partially  preserved  in 
places,  which  surrounded  the  fortress  itself. 

The  isolated  hill  or  crag  upon  which  Masada 
was  built  is  one  of  the  highest  and  most  pre¬ 
cipitous  of  the  towering  cliffs  of  the  great  moun¬ 
tain  wall,  which  border  the  western  shore  of  the 
Dead  Sea.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  south  of 
Engedi,  and  the  easiest  way  of  approach  to  it 
from  the  highlands  of  Judea  is  by  way  of  the 
pass  which  leads  down  to  the  coast  at  this  point. 
Dr.  George  A.  Smith  found  traces  of  a  “  military  ” 
road,  designed  originally  for  wheeled  vehicles, 
between  Engedi  and  Masada,  but  at  the  present 
time  the  narrow  bridle-path  into  which  it  has 
shrunken,  is  scarcely  passable,  in  many  places, 
for  travellers  on  horseback.  In  its  higher  levels 
near  the  ruined  fortress  the  track  of  this  ancient 
roadway  has  wholly  disappeared. 

The  supposition  advanced  by  Dr.  Smith  that 
this  was  an  “inland  passageway,  connecting  the 
fortresses  of  Masada  and  Herodium  ”  is  doubtless 
correct.  Masada  may  be  approached,  also,  from 
Jebel  Usdum  to  the  south  and  from  Hebron  by  a 
rugged  mountain  trail,  involving  a  journey  of  ten 
or  twelve  hours. 

It  has  been  said  with  truth  that  the  fortresses 
are  very  few  that  match  Masada  in  natural 


234 


Memorable  Places 


strength.  Its  site  was  a  refuge  for  wild  goats 
before  it  became  a  refuge  for  hunted  men,  and  in 
its  best  estate  it  was  a  desert  hold,  remote  from 
civilization  and  from  all  the  ordinary  routes  of 
travel.  At  the  foot  of  the  storm  shattered  cliff 
upon  which  it  rested  was  the  Dead  Sea,  occupy¬ 
ing  the  deepest  basin  on  the  land  surface  of  the 
earth;  behind  it  was  a  rugged  background  of 
jagged  rock  and  deeply  furrowed  desert  waste, 
reaching  up  by  precipitous  ascents  and  terraced 
slopes  to  the  plateau,  or  hill  country  of  Judea, 
more  than  twenty  five  hundred  feet  above  it, 
while  on  every  side  “vastly  deep  chasms,”  as 
Josephus  terms  them,  cut  it  off  from  the  tower¬ 
ing  cliffs  around  it. 

On  the  seaward  side  the  citadel  was  seventeen 
hundred  feet  above  the  water  level.  On  the 
north  and  south  sides  the  cliff  rose  to  the  height 
of  thirteen  or  fourteen  hundred  feet.  On  the 
west  side  there  is  a  partial  connection  with  the 
main  ridge  from  the  summit  of  a  slope  or  under¬ 
cliff,  about  one  thousand  feet  high,  which  at  this 
point  abuts  against  the  fortified  hill.  This  is  the 
one  vulnerable  point  in  the  entire  circuit,  and  yet 
it  lies  about  four  hundred  feet  below  the  top  of 
the  great  rock.  From  this  ledge  a  narrow, 
zigzag  pathway,  hewn  out  of  the  rock  and 
guarded  at  every  exposed  point,  ascended  to  the 
gate  of  the  castle.  Josephus  describes  another 
approach  from  the  eastern  side,  “which  was 
called  the  serpent,  as  resembling  that  animal  in 
its  narrowness  and  its  perpetual  windings.” 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  235 

Colonel  Warren  of  the  survey  party  ascended  this 
pathway  to  the  summit,  but  it  was  a  difficult  and 
dangerous  venture. 

The  summit  of  the  great  rock  is  an  oblong,  al¬ 
most  level  plateau.  Its  length  from  north  to  south 
is  about  two  thousand  feet,  and  its  breadth  from 
six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet,  the  widest 
part  being  at  the  southern  extremity. 

The  outlook  from  this  elevated  platform  in¬ 
cludes  the  long  wall  of  the  mountains  of  Moab, 
the  whole  of  the  Dead  Sea,  the  coast  plain  on  its 
western  side  from  Engedi  to  Jebel  Usdum,  and  a 
limited  view,  to  which  reference  has  been  already 
made,  of  the  desolate  wastes  of  the  Judean 
wilderness. 

Upon  this  great  rock,  so  strangely  uplifted 
amid  the  desert  solitudes,  Jonathan  Maccabeus 
built  a  castle,  about  the  middle  of  the  second 
century  before  Christ  and  called  it  Masada, — the 
stronghold.  In  the  time  of  Hyrcanus  II  it  was 
regarded  as  the  strongest  of  all  the  fortified 
places  of  Judea,  and  when  Antigonus  invaded 
Judea  and  besieged  Jerusalem  Herod  fled  to 
Masada  with  his  bride,  Mariamne,  for  safety. 
At  a  later  period  Herod  built  a  massive  wall 
around  the  entire  summit  and  strengthened  it 
with  thirty-eight  towers.  Within  the  ramparts 
he  enlarged  and  strengthened  the  citadel  and 
added  several  buildings  of  lesser  dimensions  for 
barracks  and  storehouses.  On  the  western  side 
he  also  erected  a  stately  palace,  adorned  with 
costly  marbles  and  mosaics,  and  lavishly  provided 


Memorable  Places 


236 

with  every  comfort  and  luxury.  An  abundant 
supply  of  water  for  the  use  of  the  garrison,  and 
for  times  of  emergency,  was  secured  during  the 
seasons  of  rain,  and  stored  in  capacious  reservoirs 
hewn  out  of  the  rock.  In  the  centre  of  the 
plateau  a  large  space  was  also  reserved  for 
cultivation.  The  soil  within  this  reservation  was 
said  to  be  very  rich,  and  the  greatest  portion  of 
it  was  probably  carried  up  from  the  adjacent 
valleys.  In  view  of  the  possibility  of  a  pro¬ 
tracted  siege  immense  stores  of  grain,  oil,  pulse 
wine  and  dates  were  laid  up  in  caverns  and 
hidden  chambers  among  the  rocks,  and  in  the 
citadel  there  were  arms  and  equipments  for  ten 
thousand  men.  These  elaborate  preparations 
"show,"  says  the  Jewish  historian,  “that  Herod 
had  taken  much  pains  to  have  all  things  ready 
for  the  greatest  occasions;  for  the  report  goes 
how  he  thus  prepared  this  fortress  on  his  own 
account,  as  a  refuge  against  two  kinds  of  danger; 
the  one  of  fear  of  the  multitude  of  the  Jews,  lest 
they  should  depose  him,  and  restore  their  former 
kings  to  the  government;  the  other  danger  was 
greater  and  more  terrible,  which  arose  from 
Cleopatra,  queen  of  Egypt,  who  did  not  conceal 
her  intentions,  but  spoke  often  to  Antony,  and 
desired  him  to  cut  off  Herod,  and  entreated  him 
to  bestow  the  kingdom  of  Judea  upon  her.” 

The  time  never  came  in  Herod’s  day  when  this 
provision  for  an  evil  hour  was  needed,  but  when 
all  of  the  Herodian  line  had  passed  away  it  fell 
into  the  hands  of  a  band  of  desperate  men,  who. 


237 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

like  this  crafty  and  cruel  king,  were  pursued  by 
an  avenging  angel;  and  whose  awful  end  closes 
one  of  the  saddest  and  most  tragic  chapters  in 
the  annals  of  ancient  history. 

The  possessors  of  this  fateful  inheritance  were 
an  independent  clan  of  the  fanatical  Sicarii,  under 
the  leadership  of  Eleazer,  a  descendant  of  Judas 
of  Galilee.  At  the  very  beginning  of  the  war 
with  Vespasian,  Eleazer  captured  Masada  by 
stratagem  and  held  it,  without  opposition  on  the 
part  of  the  Romans,  until  Jerusalem,  and  all  the 
other  strongholds  in  Judea,  had  fallen  into  their 
hands. 

Availing  themselves  of  the  immense  stores  of 
arms  and  provisions  which  Herod  had  laid  up, 
and  which  Josephus  assures  us  were  still  in  good 
condition,  Eleazer  and  his  men  strengthened  the 
fortress  at  all  the  exposed  points  and  encouraged 
each  other  in  the  high  resolve  to  hold  it  against 
all  odds,  or  failing  in  this  to  perish  within  its 
walls. 

It  fell  to  the  lot  of  Flavius  Silva,  the  Procurator 
who  succeeded  Lucilius  Bassus,  to  attempt  the 
reduction  of  this  formidable  stronghold.  Col¬ 
lecting  an  army  from  every  part  of  the  country 
Silva  made  careful  and  deliberate  preparation,  be¬ 
forehand,  to  meet  all  the  contingencies  which 
might  arise  in  connection  with  this  difficult  and 
perilous  undertaking.  There  is  scarcely  an  ex¬ 
ample  in  history  where  so  many  obstacles  of  an 
unusual  character  had  to  be  met  and  overcome, 
or  where  the  dauntless  energy,  the  engineering 


Memorable  Places 


238 

skill  and  the  dogged  persistency  of  the  Roman 
soldier  of  that  age,  were  more  strikingly  dis¬ 
played. 

While  the  garrison  had  a  sufficient  supply  of 
food  and  water,  and  also  of  arms  and  material  for 
defense,  it  was  necessary  on  the  part  of  the  be¬ 
siegers  to  transport  supplies  of  every  kind  from 
the  Roman  camps  in  the  hill  country  to  this  al¬ 
most  inaccessible  portion  of  the  Dead  Sea  coast. 
The  nearest  water  supply  was  at  least  eleven 
miles,  and  at.no  point  short  of  twenty  miles 
could  a  supply  of  food  or  forage  be  secured.  In 
order  to  conduct  a  protracted  siege — the  only  pos¬ 
sible  way  of  accomplishing  his  purpose — it  was 
necessary  for  the  Roman  general  to  transport  bat¬ 
tering  rams  and  siege  engines  from  Jerusalem  or 
the  Herodium,  and  to  do  this,  even  in  sections, 
required  the  construction  of  a  broad  roadway, 
which  for  a  considerable  portion  of  its  extent  fol¬ 
lowed  the  trail  of  the  shepherd  or  the  wild  goats, 
down  the  rugged  mountainside  or  along  the 
edges  of  precipitous  slopes.  When  all  these  dif¬ 
ficulties  had  been  surmounted  Silva  concentrated 
his  army  at  Masada  and  commenced  the  work  of 
investment.  His  first  undertaking  after  the  es¬ 
tablishment  of  his  troops  in  strongly-fortified 
camps,  was  the  building  of  a  great  stone  wall 
around  the  base  of  the  rock-fortress  to  prevent 
the  possibility  of  a  sortie  or  of  escape.  This  wall 
was  connected  with  the  fortified  camps,  and  the 
security  it  afforded  made  it  possible  for  Silva  to 
make  use  of  the  greater  part  of  his  forces  in  the 


239 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

construction  of  a  great  mound  from  which  he 
could  direct  his  operation  against  the  wall  of 
the  doomed  fortress.  The  only  point  where 
it  was  possible  to  construct  a  work  of  this  char¬ 
acter  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  rock,  where 
there  is  a  slight  connection, — to  which  reference 
has  been  already  made, — between  the  main  ridge 
and  the  fortified  hill.  Upon  this  under  cliff  Silva 
erected  an  embankment  of  earth  and  stone  300 
feet  in  height. 

This  served  as  a  platform  upon  which  to  con¬ 
struct  a  solid  mass  of  stonework,  fifty  cubits  in 
breadth  and  height  upon  which  the  siege  engines 
of  various  kinds  were  mounted  in  close  proximity 
to  the  fortress  walls.  A  great  tower,  plated  with 
iron,  about  sixty  cubits  in  height,  dominated  the 
wall  at  this  point,  also,  from  which  stone  and 
darts  were  hurled  from  the  engines  upon  the  be¬ 
siegers,  whenever  they  attempted  to  defend  the 
walls. 

This  work  of  preparation  required  months  of 
arduous  labor,  but  when  the  great  battering  ram 
began  its  steady  strokes,  at  close  range,  from  this 
elevation  the  walls  crumbled  before  it,  day  by 
day,  and  at  length  a  portion  of  the  rampart,  so 
vigorously  assailed,  toppled  on  its  foundation  and 
fell  to  the  ground.  As  the  Romans  were  about 
to  enter  this  breach  they  found,  to  their  great 
amazement,  that  the  beleaguered  garrison,  in  an¬ 
ticipation  of  this  calamity,  had  erected  an  inner 
wall  of  great  strength  just  behind  the  portion 
which  had  been  shattered  by  the  battering  rams. 


240 


Memorable  Places 


This  barrier  was  constructed  of  logs  and  heavy 
timbers  belonging  to  the  palace  and  other  large 
buildings  within  the  ramparts.  These  timbers 
were  fitted  together  in  a  double  framework,  and 
the  space  between  was  packed  with  earth.  To 
prevent  the  earth  from  giving  way  the  framework 
was  covered  with  sloping  beams,  which  bound 
the  whole  structure  together  and  gave  it  greater 
power  of  resistance.  When  the  siege  engines 
were  directed  against  this  wall  there  was  a  re¬ 
bound  from  the  heavy  blows  that  smote  it  and 
the  barricade  held  together  as  a  compact  whole. 
When  Silva  found  that  he  could  not  force  an 
entrance  in  this  manner  he  directed  his  soldiers 
to  set  fire  to  the  woodwork  of  the  barricade. 
This  was  accomplished,  at  length,  by  hurling 
torches  and  blazing  bundles  of  inflammable  ma¬ 
terial  upon  the  roof.  The  timbers  were  very  dry 
from  long  exposure  to  the  heat  of  this  deeply 
depressed  valley,  and  the  flames,  which  had  fas¬ 
tened  upon  them,  spread  so  rapidly  along  the 
hollow  framework  that  it  was  impossible  for  the 
defenders  of  the  wall  to  extinguish  them.  At 
first  the  heat  and  smoke  from  the  blazing  mass 
were  driven  by  the  wind  into  the  faces  of  the  be¬ 
siegers,  and  they  almost  despaired  of  success,  as 
the  rising  flames  threatened  to  overspread  the 
platform  upon  which  their  engines  were  placed, 
and  from  which  they  were  preparing  to  make  the 
final  assault.  “On  a  sudden,  however,”  as  Jo¬ 
sephus  puts  it,  “the  wind  changed  as  if  it  were 
done  by  Divine  Providence,  and  blew  strongly 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  241 

the  contrary  way,  and  carried  the  flame  and  drove 
it  against  the  wall,  which  was  now  on  fire 
through  its  entire  thickness.  So  the  Romans, 
having  now  assistance  from  God,  returned  to 
their  camp  with  joy  and  resolved  to  attack  their 
enemies  the  very  next  day.” 

With  the  going  down  of  the  sun  on  that 
eventful  day  the  doom  of  the  heroic  defenders 
of  Masada  was  sealed.  They  well  knew  that 
escape  was  impossible,  and  they  had  little  expec¬ 
tation  of  mercy  at  the  hands  of  the  terrible  foe- 
men  whom  they  had  so  insolently  and  so  per¬ 
sistently  defied.  To  add  to  the  horror  of  the 
situation  a  number  of  women  and  children,  who 
had  joined  their  husbands  and  fathers  before  the 
place  had  been  invested,  and  who  had  shared 
with  them  in  all  the  privations  and  perils  of  the 
long  siege,  were  involved  in  the  same  calamity, 
with  the  certainty  of  exposure,  now  that  they 
were  about  to  be  deprived  of  their  protectors,  to 
miseries  and  indignities  more  to  be  dreaded  than 
death  itself. 

As  the  barrier  which  separated  the  garrison 
from  the  dread  enemy  without  was  slowly,  but 
surely,  settling  down  into  a  heap  of  dust  and 
ashes,  Eleazer  assembled  the  entire  company  and 
urged  them  by  every  consideration  of  affection 
and  patriotism  to  devote  themselves  and  all  that 
was  within  the  ramparts  to  a  common  destruc¬ 
tion.  Convinced  of  the  hopelessness  of  their 
condition,  and  aroused  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy, 
which  brooked  no  delay,  the  resolve  was  made 


242 


Memorable  Places 


to  die  together  within  the  walls  which  they  had 
so  heroically  defended,  rather  than  submit  to  the 
Romans.  When  everything  that  was  valuable 
had  been  gathered  together,  within  and  about 
the  palace,  and  was  made  ready  for  the  torch, 
the  awful  work  of  self-immolation  began.  First 
of  all  the  husbands  and  fathers  tenderly  embraced 
their  loved  ones,  and  with  unflinching  determi¬ 
nation  put  them  to  death.  Then  by  lot  ten  men 
were  selected  to  slay  their  brethren.  When 
these  unresisting  victims  had  fallen  by  their  hands 
one  man,  who  was  chosen  in  the  same  manner, 
slew  his  nine  companions.  Standing  alone  amid 
this  awful  carnage  the  hapless  survivor  made 
sure  that  all  in  the  ghastly  funeral  pile  before  him 
were  dead,  and  then  setting  fire  to  the  palace 
and  the  treasure  heaps  accumulated  around  it, 
ended  his  life  by  falling  upon  his  own  sword. 

Thus  perished  in  that  night  of  horror,  which 
preceded  the  festival  of  the  Passover,  nine  hun~ 
dred  and  sixty  men ,  women  and  children , — “the 
last  great  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  Divine  retribu¬ 
tion.” 

When  the  Romans  entered  the  fortress  next 
morning  they  found  in  the  open  space  the 
slaughtered  hecatombs  of  their  implacable  ene¬ 
mies,  lying  as  they  fell  and  surrounded  by  heaps 
of  smouldering  ruins.  As  they  moved  silently 
and  awe-stricken  amid  this  “terrible  solitude” 
they  discovered  two  half-crazed  women,  and 
five  children  who  had  fled  from  the  scene  of 
slaughter  and  secreted  themselves  in  one  of  the 


243 


Among  the  Holy  Hills 

vaulted  chambers  of  the  enclosure.  These  were 
the  only  persons  out  of  a  garrison  of  nearly  one 
thousand  who  escaped  to  tell  the  tale. 

This  tragic  event  took  place  a.  d.  73,  seven 
years  after  the  commencement  of  the  war  with 
Vespasian,  and  forty  years  after  the  crucifixion 
of  Christ. 

“This,”  as  one  has  expressed  it,  “was  the 
conclusion  of  the  war  in  which  Jerusalem  was 
seen  encompassed  with  armies,  the  winding  up 
in  blood  of  the  drama  in  which  were  enacted  the 
scenes  of  the  great  tribulation  foretold  by  the 
Saviour;  and  terribly  to  the  last,  was  realized  by 
the  devoted  people  the  fearful  imprecation  of 
their  fathers,  ‘  His  blood  be  on  us  and  our  chil¬ 
dren/  ” 

Eastward  of  the  ruined  site  of  Machserus, 
where  the  plateau  of  Moab  slopes  towards  the 
desert  the  hosts  of  Israel,  under  the  leadership  of 
Moses  and  Joshua  fought  the  first  great  battle  for 
the  possession  of  the  promised  land.  On  this 
side  the  Jordan  Valley,  where  the  wilderness  falls 
away  to  the  Salt  Sea  the  conflict  for  the  last  rood 
of  territory  in  the  hands  of  the  descendants  of 
this  conquering  host  was  ended  at  Masada,  after 
a  period  of  occupancy  of  nearly  fifteen  centuries. 
When  the  news  of  this  final  victory  reached 
Rome  the  province  of  Palestine  was  made  the 
private  possession  of  the  Emperor  Vespasian, 
and  the  taxes  levied  upon  it  were  used  for  his 
personal  benefit.  From  that  evil  day  until  now 
the  children  of  Israel  have  been  aliens,  with  no 


244  Memorable  Places 

certain  tenure  or  privilege,  in  the  land  of  their 
fathers. 

For  nearly  eighteen  centuries  after  its  capture 
by  the  Romans  Masada  was  buried  in  obscurity 
and  its  very  site  was  unknown.  The  first  inti¬ 
mation  of  its  possible  identification  with  the 
great  rock,  which  bore  the  Arabic  name  of 
Sebbeh,  was  made  by  our  countrymen,  Drs. 
Robinson  and  Smith,  who  looked  down  upon  it 
through  a  field-glass  from  a  cliff  above  the  foun¬ 
tain  of  Engedi  in  the  year  1838,  but  did  not  have 
the  opportunity  to  verify  their  conjecture  by  the 
evidence  of  actual  investigation. 

In  1842  the  place  was  visited  and  described  for 
the  first  time  by  Messrs.  Wolcott  and  Tipping. 
Since  that  date  it  has  been  carefully  examined 
and  described  by  such  noted  explorers  as  Lieu¬ 
tenant  Lynch,  De  Saulcy,  Canon  Tristram,  Gen¬ 
eral  Warren,  and  the  survey  party  under  Kitch¬ 
ener  and  Conder. 

The  evidence  in  support  of  the  identification  of 
this  site  with  Masada  is  stamped  upon  every  fea¬ 
ture  of  the  ruined  fortress  and  its  surroundings. 
There  are  one  or  two  loosely  constructed  build¬ 
ings  on  the  rock  which  probably  represent  a 
brief  period  of  occupancy  by  hermits  or  the  cru¬ 
saders,  but  the  surrounding  walls,  the  shells  of 
the  Roman  camps,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  build¬ 
ings  remain  as  they  were  left  when  Silva  and  his 
men  retired  from  it.  “From  the  platform,”  says 
Colonel  Conder,  “  one  looks  down  on  the  Roman 
wall  which  crosses  the  plain  and  runs  up  the 


Among  the  Holy  Hills  245 

hills  to  south  and  north.  One  can  see  Silva’s 
camp  and  the  guard  towers  almost  as  he  left 
them  1,800  years  ago.  The  Roman  mound,  the 
wall  upon  the  ruins  of  Herod’s  palace  and  of  the 
fortress  walls,  the  towers  on  the  cliff  side  to  the 
north,  the  empty  tanks,  the  narrow  ‘serpent’ 
path,  all  attest  the  truth  of  Josephus’  account, 
and  remain  as  silent  witnesses  of  one  of  the  most 
desperate  struggles  perhaps  ever  carried  to  suc¬ 
cess  by  Roman  determination,  and  of  one  of  the 
most  fanatical  resistances  in  history.  On  the 
east  is  the  gleaming  Sea  of  Salt;  the  dark  preci¬ 
pices  of  Moab  rise  beyond,  and  the  strong  towers 
of  Crusading  Kerak.  On  all  sides  are  brown 
precipices  and  tawny  slopes  of  marl  torrent  beds 
strewn  with  boulders,  and  utterly  barren  shores. 
There  has  been  nothing  to  efface  the  evidence  of 
the  tragedy,  nor  was  Masada  ever  again  held  as 
a  fortress.” 

There  are  many  ruins  of  the  past  amid  the  des¬ 
olations  of  the  Holy  Land  which  claim  the  atten¬ 
tion  and  stir  the  emotions  of  the  explorer  and 
traveller,  but  there  is  no  single  monument,  per¬ 
haps,  of  the  closing  period  in  the  history  of  the 
Jewish  nation  that  is  more  interesting  and  im¬ 
pressive  in  its  surroundings  and  associations  than 
the  huge  mass  of  isolated  rock,  which  bears  upon 
its  blackened,  blood-stained,  storm-swept  crest 
the  ruins  of  Masada. 


Index 


Abraham,  The  Friend,  41 
Abraham,  Oak  of,  29 
Abraham,  Tomb  of,  31,  35-39 
Adummim,  Going  up  of,  198 
Ain  el  Hod,  196 
Ain  et  Tabighah,  126,  137 
Ain  et  Tin,  100,  125 
Akabat  ed  Deir — outlook  from, 
198 

Aksa  El,  Mosque  of,  149 
Amorite  Pottery,  22 
Amud  Wady,  98 
Anti-Lebanon,  Mountains  of,  16 
Antonia,  Tower  of,  157 
Apostles,  Fountain  of,  197 
Araunah  (Oman),  The  Jebu- 
site,  Threshing  floor  of,  165, 
172 

Attarus  Jebel,  226 

Banias.  See  Caesarea  Philippi 
Bashan,  Plateau  of,  108 
Batihah,  Plain  of,  113,  130 
Belata,  89 

Bethabara,  207,  210-212,  222 
Bethany  (Bethania),  Ford  of, 
211 

Bethlehem  of  Judah,  43 
“  Approach  to,  44 

“  Fields  of,  48 

“  Basilica  of,  51 

“  Khan  of,  50 

Bethlehem  of  Zebulun,  43 
Beth-Nimrah,  210 
Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  115,  128 


Bethsaida-Julias,  113,  129,  130 
Bridge  of  Jacob’s  Daughters, 
203 

Caesarea  Philippi  (Banias), 
142-145 

Callirhoe  (Zerka  Main),  227 
“  Hot  springs  of,  227- 
228 

Cana  (Kefr  Kenna),  57,  100 
Capernaum,  Site  of,  (Khan 
Minyeh),  98,  118,  123-126 
Capernaum,  Fountain  of  (Ain 
Tabighah),  101 

Capernaum,  A  Sabbath  Day 
in,  1 19 

Capernaum  (Tell  Hum),  122 
Caravan  Routes,  56,  57,  203, 
206 

Celtic  Steamship,  Cruise  of,  70 
Chimham,  Khan  of,  49 
Cisterns,  Temple  Hill,  153 

Dalmanutha,  1 15 
Damieh  Ford,  209 
Death,  Valley  of  Shadow  of,  73 
Decapolis,  Cities  of,  217 
Dome  of  the  Rock,  150 
Dothan,  Plain  of,  19,  20 

Edersheim,  Dr.,  66 
Egypt,  River  of,  9 
Elijah,  Scene  of  Translation 
of,  221 

Eleazer,  Leader  of  Sicarii,  Ma¬ 
sada,  237 


247 


Index 


248 


Engedi,  Oasis  of,  78 
“  Fountain  of,  78 
u  City  of,  80 
“  Wilderness  of,  78 
En  Rogel  (Spring  of  Fuller), 
181 

Ephrath.  See  Bethlehem 
Eschol,  Vale  of,  29 
Et  Tell  (Bethsaida  Julias),  130 
Ezekiel,  Mystic  River  of,  75 

Fountain  Gate,  Jerusalem,  186 
Fik,  Wady,  114 

Galilee,  District  of,  64 
"  Towns  of,  114-116 
Galilee,  Sea  of,  107 
Galilee,  Sea  of,  Western  Shore, 
120 

Galilee,  Sea  of,  Fisheries  of, 
no 

Galilee,  Sea  of,  Shipping  of,  in 
Gamala,  114 

Gennesaret,  Lake  of.  Sec 
Galilee 

Gennesaret,  Plain  of,  97 
Gennesaret,  Plain,  Irrigation  of, 
102,  103 

Gennesaret,  Plain,  Fertility  of, 
104 

Gennesaret,  Plain,  Towns  of, 
114-116 

Gennesaret,  Plain,  Present  Con¬ 
dition  of,  104 
Gergesa  (Ghersa),  1 13 
Gerizim,  Mount,  93 

Hamath,  Entering  in  of,  9 
Haram  Area,  Jerusalem,  148 
«  «  Walls  of,  155 

Hattin,  Horns  of,  100 
Hazezon-tamar.  See  Engedi 
Hebron,  27 

"  Antiquity  of,  40 
Mosque  of,  32 
Burial  Place  of  Patri¬ 
archs  in,  32,  34,  35-37 


Herod  the  Great,  226,  235 
“  “  “  Works  of,  34 

Herod  Antipas,  228 
Herodias,  229,  230 
Hermon,  Mountain  of  the  Trans¬ 
figuration,  16,  109,  141-145 

Jacob,  Well  of,  20,  89,  93-95 
Jacob,  Funeral  of,  40 
Jericho,  The  Way  to,  193 
Jerusalem,  23 

“  Antiquity  of,  22 
Jisr  el  Mejami’a,  205,  220 
Jisr  Um  el  Kanatur,  205 
John  the  Baptist,  Ministry  of, 
229 

John  the  Baptist,  Prison  of,  230 
Jordan,  Valley  of,  16 
“  River  of,  218 
“  Rapids  of,  112 
“  Fords  of,  203 
“  Perean  side  of,  206 
Joshua,  Book  of,  12 
Joseph,  Tomb  of,  90 

Kelt  Wady,  74 
Khan  Minyeh,  98,  122,  125 
Kidron,  Valley  of,  74 
King’s  Garden,  Jerusalem,  185 

Lachish  (Tell  el  Hesy),  22 
Land  and  the  Book,  Corre¬ 
spondence  of,  19 
Lebanon,  Mountain  of,  9,  15 

MacHjERUS,  Castle  of,  225 
Machserus,  Dungeons  of,  331 
Machpelah,  Cave  of,  35 
Magdala,  98 
Mamre,  Vale  of,  28 
“  Vineyards  of,  29 
Mar  Elyas,  44 
Maris,  Via,  63,  204 
Mar  Saba,  76 
Masada,  225,  232 


€i 


Index 


249 


Michmash,  Pass  of,  74 
Minyeh,  Khan  of,  98,  122 
“  Pastures  of,  10 1 

Moab,  Plain  of,  221 

Nablus.  See  Shechem 
Nativity,  Church  of  the,  45,  49, 

5X>  52 

Nativity,  Chapel  of  the,  53 
“  Cave  of  the,  5 1 

Nazareth,  55 

“  Approaches  to,  56,  57 

“  Outlook  above,  62 

“  Village  Green  of,  56 

“  Churches  of,  58 

“  Holy  Places  of,  59 

“  Fountain  of,  60 

Neby,  Isma’l,  Wely  of,  62 
Nimrim  (Nuwairaeh),  Ford, 
209, 212 

Nusairiyeh  Mountains,  9 

Onomasticon,  68 

Palestine,  Greater,  10 

“  Boundaries  of,  12,  13 

Palestine,  Position  among  the 
Nations,  13 

Palestine,  Unique  features  of, 

I3~I5 

Palestine,  Climate  of,  17,  18 
“  Green  Pastures  of,  21 
“  Terraced  Slopes  of, 
45 

Palestine,  Roman  Roads  in, 
56,  57,  203,  206,  218,  233, 
238 

Palestine  Exploration  Fund,  11 
Papyrus  Plant,  10 1 
Patriarchs,  Camping  Places  of, 
21 

Patriarchs,  Burial  Places  of,  35 
“  Stone  Effigies  of,  39 
Perea,  206,  214,  220,  229 
“  Ministry  of  John  the 
Baptist  in,  21 1,  222,  229 


Perea,  Ministry  of  Christ  in, 
223 

Perea,  A  Jewish  Province  in 
the  time  of  Christ,  219 
Perea,  Pilgrim  Route  Through, 
220 

Rachel,  Tomb  of,  44 
Red  Heifer  Bridge,  Jerusalem, 
170 

Robinson,  Dr.  Edward,  Ex¬ 
plorations  of,  1 1 
Robinson's  Arch, 

Roman  Roads,  56,  57,  203,  206, 
218,233,238 

Royal  Porch,  (Herod's  Tem¬ 
ple),  159 

Sakhra,  Sacred  Rock  of 
Moriah,  15 1,  164,  1 70 
Salem.  See  Jerusalem 
Scape  Goat,  Wilderness  of  the, 
84,  195 

Sealed  Fountain,  154 
Sebbeh.  See  Masada 
Sepphoris,  57 
Shechem,  City  of,  88 

“  Oldest  of  the  Sacred 
Places,  88 

Shechem,  Vale  of,  87,  89 
“  Oak  of,  89,  91 
Shepherds  of  Judea,  82,  83 
Sichern,  Place  of.  See  Shechem 
Siloam,  Village  of,  180 
“  Pool  of,  180 
Siloam  Conduit,  181 
Siloam  Inscription,  182 
Siloam  Pool,  Recent  Explora¬ 
tion  of,  185 

Siloam,  Old  Pool  of,  184 
St.  Stephen,  The  Sabaite,  76 
Sychar,  90 
Suweinet  Wady,  74 

Tabernacle,  Sites  of  the,  21 
Tabor,  Mt.,  140 


250 


Index 


Tarichsea,  1 1 5 
Tell  el  Amarna  Tablets,  22 
Tell  Hum,  115,  122-125 
Temple  Area,  (Haram),  148 
“  “  Walls  of,  23 

“  “  Position  of  Sanc¬ 

tuary  in,  162 

Temple  Area,  Associations  Con¬ 
nected  with  the,  174-178 
Temple,  Plan  of,  158 

“  Descriptions  of,  171-173 

“  Porches  of  the,  158,  159 

“  Sanctuary  of  the,  160 
Tiberias,  City  of,  115 

“  Hot  Springs  of,  1 15 

Transfiguration,  Mountain  of, 
139 

Via  Maris,  63,  204 

Wady  Amud,  98 
“  El  Hod,  196 
“  En  Nar,  74 


Wady  Fik,  114 
“  Hamam,  98 
“  Kelt,  74,  197,  198 
“  Rubudiyeh,  98 
“  Shaib,  210,  220 
“  Suweinet,  74 
“  Tel  ’at  ed  Dumm,  197 

“  Zerka  Main.  See  Calli- 

rhoe 

Wilderness  of  Judea,  72,  81 

Wilderness  of  Judea,  Influence 
of,  on  Prophets  and  Poets  of 
Israel,  84 

Wilderness,  Pastures  of  the,  8 1 
“  Place  of  John’s 
Preaching,  84 

Wilderness,  Place  of  the  Temp¬ 
tation,  84 

Wilson’s  Arch,  Temple  Area, 

*56 

Ziz,  Cliff  of,  77 


*V  .  J 


**  C °he  Cream  of  the  Latest  P^esearch" 


he  L&nd  of  Israel 

A  text-book  embodying  the  results  of 
recent  research,  by  Robert  Laird 
Stewart,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Biblical 
Archaeology  in  Theolo.  Seminary  of 
Lincoln  University,  Pa.  Illustrated 
with  maps.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.50. 

“  The  book  is  thoroughly  up-to-date.  It  shows 
wide  and  thorough  study  of  the  literature  of  explora¬ 
tion,  especially  that  of  the  past  sixty  years.  .  .  . 
The  merits  of  this  volume  as  a  trustworthy  and 
available  lext-book  on  Palestinian  geography  are 
very  high.”— S.  S.  Times. 


UHO'ROX/GH.  COMPARATIVE.  CRITICAL 

11  It  is  a  thorough,  comparative,  and  critical  reduction  of  the 
material  collected  by  all  the  explorers,  and  of  the  best  final  conclu¬ 
sions  which  have  been  established  by  their  combined  explorations. 
It  will  answer  the  purposes  of  the  general  student  better  than  any 
original  exploration  could.  It  presents  the  facts  which  give  the 
whole  geographical  study  its  importance  and  interest. '''—Evangelist. 

LATEST  AUTHORITATIVE  IJVFQRMA- 

TIOJV 

“Here  is  a  fresh,  admirably  compact  and  well-arranged  manual, 
embodying  the  latest  and  most  authoritative  information  as  to  to 
topography  and  natural  history  of  the  Holy  Land.  .  .  .  Excellent 
maps  and  illustrations,  a  bountiful  and  intelligent  index,  anc.  an 
attractive  and  serviceable  binding  commend  the  work  to  the  Bible 
etudent  as  of  immediate  and  permanent  value.” — The  Watchman. 

“  Within  the  compass  of  a  comparatively  small  manual  he  haa 
digested  the  results  of  modern  researches.” — The  Westminster. 

GATHERED  FROM  UHE  BEST  ^TOl/'RCES 

“The  work  before  us  is  a  full  and  clear  presentation  of  we! 
authenticated  facts  gathered  from  the  best  sources,  and  is  fully 
abreast  of  the  latest  explorations.  Dr.  Stewart  has  also  personally 
studied  the  geography  of  Palestine,  and  is  thus  enabled  to  utilize  his 
own  impressions,  and  give  a  personal  warmth  and  realism  and  pre¬ 
sent  a  vivid  picture  of  the  framework.  The  attractive  style  of  the 
author  makes  this  a  very  readable  book,  vastly  different  from  many 
other  text-books  on  the  subject.”— Biblia,  August,  1899. 

VP-TO-DATE .  POPVLAR.  SCHOLA'RL & 

“An  up-to-date,  popular,  scholarly,  readable,  and  easily  usable 
Biblical  geography,  accurate  in  statement,  sufficiently  illustrated  in 
maps  ana  drawings,  convenient  in  form  and  moderate  in  price.  .  .  . 
It  is  a  book  to  be  laid  alongside  of  the  Bible,  a  guide  to  be  consulted 
whenever  we  pause  in  doubt  as  to  the  character  or  meaning  of  a 
phrase  or  a  description.  It  should  be  on  every  pastor’s  table,  and 
«n  the  shelf  of  every  student  of  the  Bible.” — Mission  Field. 


PROF.  STEWART’S  “LAND  OF  ISRAEL." 


Next  to  George  Adam  Smith's  Book 

"Next  to  George  Adam  Smith’s  delightful  book,  and  for  prac¬ 
tical  purposes,  in  some  respects  before  this,  we  would  place  Professor 
Stewart’s  admirable  book, — The  Land  of  Israel.  Briefer  but  not  less 
accurate  than  Professor  Smith’s  great  work,  its  size  and  price  will 
commend  it  to  a  great  many  who  could  not  afford  the  latter.” — The 
Bible  Student ,  Columbia ,  South  Carolina. 

The  Very  Cream  of  the  Latest  Research 

“The  very  cream  of  the  latest  results  of  topographical  re¬ 
search  and  biblical  learning.  The  typographical  beauty  of  the  book, 
its  lucid  discussions,  its  charming  maps  and  diagrams,  its  wealth  of 
judicious  quotation  from  the  latest  and  best  authorities  render  it,  in 
my  judgement,  the  most  satisfactory  of  modern  efforts  at  populariz¬ 
ing  Palestinian  geography  and  history.” — Bishop  John  H.  Vincent. 

A  Notable  Work  on  Bible  Geography 

“The  habitual  reader  of  new  books  on  the  Bible  will  find  herein 
one  astounding  peculiarity.  Its  one  purpose  is  to  give  its  readers 
certain  information  that  they  need  and  desire, — to  give  this  informa¬ 
tion  fully,  proportionately,  clearly  and  directly.  Dr.  Stewart  has 
severed  the  geography  from  these  other  subjects,  has  brought  in 
other  subjects  only  in  a  subordinate  place,  for  the  purpose  of  lending 
interest  to  the  geography,  and  has  thus  given  a  consecutive  ana 
balanced  treatment  of  the  geography. — S.  S.  Times. 

A  Personal  Warmth  and  Realism 

“The  work  before  us  is  a  full  and  clear  presentation  of  well 
authenticated  facts  gathered  from  the  best  sources  and  is  fully 
abreast  of  the  latest  explorations.  Dr.  Stewart  has  also  personally 
studied  the  geography  of  Palestine,  and  is  thus  enabled  to  utilize  his 
own  impressions  and  give  a  personal  warmth  and  realism  and  present 
a  vivid  picture  of  the  framework.  The  attractive  style  of  the  author 
makes  this  a  very  readable  book,  vastly  different  from  many  other  text 
books  on  the  subject.” — Biblia , 

Combines  the  Various  Points  of  Excellence 

“It  combines  in  a  high  degree  the  various  points  of  excellence 
which  should  characterize  a  book  on  Palestinian  Geography.  It 
covers  the  whole  ground  clearly  and  proportionally.  It  is  thoroughly 
up  to  date.  It  subordinates  the  history  to  the  geography,  and  thus 
avoids  muddling  the  geographical  facts  with  the  conflicting  opinions 
concerning  the  history.— Prof.  Willis  J.  Beecher ,  of  Auburn 
Theol.  Seminary. 

MARKED  COMMENDATIONS 

“It  is  clear,  painstaking,  adequate.  I  see  everything  in  the 
printed  matter  to  commend.  ’—Prof.  T.  F.  Wright ,  Ph.  D.,  U.  S. 
Secretary  Palestine  Exploration  Fund. 

“A  most  valuable  work,  admirably  arranged  and  better  adapted 
to  the  needs  of  the  average  student  than  anything  T  know.” — Prof. 
David  R.  Breed,  D.  D. 

“Fulfills  admirably  its  purpose.  ...  I  take  pleasure  in  com¬ 
mending  it.” — Prof.  Edward  L.  Curtis ,  of  Yale  Divinity  School. 

“Within  the  compass  of  a  comparatively  small  manual  he  has 
digested  the  results  of  modern  researches.” — The  Westminster. 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY.  Publisher! 


Date  Due 

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IN  U.  S.  A. 

